You've come to make a wish, haven't you?

There's no point in playing the fool. No one can simply stumble across this place. Besides, I can see that you're lying.

So, you sought me out, and you have found me. Now tell me - what is your wish?

…

Is that truly your wish? Hm...

…

Of course I can grant it. It is… interesting, but it is not a difficult one.

Now then, I want you to close your eyes, and hold that wish in your heart. Let it grow, until it feels like it'll burst out...

Your wish… it shines like the sun itself. You carry a powerful wish within your heart… more powerful than you might realize.

…

Very well. I shall grant you this wish, but I hope you are prepared to handle the consequences.

May it lead you to happiness...

A blanket of wispy clouds filled the night sky above the Whistle Woods, blotting out the light of the stars and moon. The little light that filtered into the trees was barely enough to light the forest path and the young teddiursa walking along it, carrying a leaf-wrapped bundle of fresh berries.

"Almost home," she said to herself, attempting to cheer herself up in spite of the dark woods around her. Harvest hadn't meant to be out so late, but she had to travel further out to find berries every day. There weren't really any dangerous pokemon here, but she couldn't help but worried as she glanced around her. She was young, alone, and carrying a bundle of food that made her a tempting target for a hungry rogue.

Then again, being young didn't mean she was weak, and she had a family waiting for her and her precious delivery. While rogues were cowards, feeding off the honest work of others. Harvest was sure that if the time came, she could find the bravery to fend off a whole team of hungry pokemon!

Lost in thought, she didn't notice the obstacle on her path until it was too late. She tripped over it with a yelp, losing her train of thought and sending berries spilling from the package in every direction. She lay on the ground sniffling for a moment, and then looked out at the scattered mess of berries.

"Ow.. oh no!" she cried out, scrambling to collect up the berries, checking them worriedly to see if they were dirty or bruised. In her haste, she didn't bother to watch her step, and managed to trip over the same obstacle again. Feeling more indignant than hurt, she turned to glare at what she assumed would be a large stone, and froze.

A zorua lay in the middle of the path, apparently asleep. Harvest didn't know there were zorua anywhere on the island, let alone in Whistle Woods. She didn't know a lot about them, other than that they were dark types, and that they had the ability to disguise themselves as other pokemon. They weren't supposed to be very friendly or trustworthy.

Why was she sleeping here of all places? Harvest looked around her warily. Maybe it was a trap, and this zorua's posse was out there in the darkness, ready and waiting to jump her. She looked around her for any signs of hiding pokemon. "Is there anyone out there?"

There was no reply from the shadows, but the zorua moved and coughed loudly. Harvest backed off as the zorua slowly staggered to her feet, wavered, and fell panting to the ground again. In that moment, Harvest realized that the zorua was far from a threat to her - in fact, she seemed to be tired and possibly injured. The thought that this was part of the zorua's trap occurred to he, but if this pokemon really did need help, then she couldn't just leave her alone.

Harvest approached the zorua, nervously licking the fur on her paw. "Hey, are you okay?"

The zorua opened one eye, which focused unsteadily on Harvest. "Who…"

"I'm… a friend. What happened to you?"

The zorua's ears flicked and she squeezed her eyes shut tight. "I… I can't… remember..." She tried to stand up again, and managed to take a few steps towards Harvest before collapsing again. "I'm so tired…"

It made Harvest's heart ache to see this zorua struggling to movie. She didn't care if this was a trap anymore; she needed her help. She shifted the bundle of berries under one arm and walked to the zorua's side. "Here, I'll help you walk this time," she said, trying her best to smile and look friendly.

The zorua got up and swayed on her feet, and then leaned heavily into Harvest. The teddiursa grunted a bit as she adjusted to the extra weight, but she was still able to stand straight. She put her free hand on the zorua's back to help support her as she began to slowly lead her down the path. Her home would be the safest place for both of them.

Ow, my everything…

Gumi opened her eyes slowly, and even that single motion seemed a monumental effort. Her entire body felt strange and stiff, and her thoughts were clouded by fatigue. A fresh, cool breeze tickled her nose, along with the scent of earth and something sweet. There was cold earth beneath her too, and as she lifted her head to look around she saw that she was lying in the entrance of a large and cozy-looking cave lit by morning sunlight.

Where… where am I?

"Oh, you're awake!"

A friendly but unfamiliar voice startled her. She tried to stand up to meet it, but her body refused to cooperate with her and move properly. It wasn't long though before something moved into her field of vision. It was a worried looking teddiursa, but something was off about it - were they supposed to be that big? Was she just really close? "A… pokemon?"

The teddiursa blinked, and then smiled. "Yup! I'm Harvest. Are you feeling better?"

Wait, it can talk?

"I… how are you talking?" Gumi said, the words spilling out before she could stop them.

Harvest frowned, a confused look on her face. "That's a weird question. It's just the same way you're talking!" She smiled again, but it poorly masked how worried she looked. "Is this a zorua joke? I don't think I get it…"

"Zorua… what?"

"Well, you're a zorua, right? I've never seen one in Whistle Woods before, but you look just like one." She scratched her head with a frown. "I'm sorry, did I get it wrong? I've never met one in person..."

"What? I'm not a zorua," Gumi said, straining to get to her feet. Why was it so hard to movie "I'm… I'm a…" She looked down at her feet.

All four of them.

Gumi yelped and reared onto her hind legs, overbalanced and toppled over backwards. What's going on? She thought frantically, struggling to get upright. Why am I… a pokemon?

Harvest put her paws over her mouth in shock. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?" She scrambled to Gumi's side and helped her get upright "Are you hurt?"

Gumi shook her head, trying not to look down again. "I'm fine… but I don't understand. I'm shouldn't be a zorua… I'm human."

Harvest's eyes widened, and she pulled away. "A human? But how can that be? There haven't been humans on Ouza for ages!" She brought one paw to her mouth, sucking on it worriedly. "Besides, no one's ever heard of a human turning into a pokemon... Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, but-"

"HARVEST!"

A desperate shout interrupted Gumi, and both pokemon turned toward the cave's entrance. The bushes rustled before another Teddiursa emerged, panting and struggling to move despite a number of nasty-looking injuries. He stared uncomprehendingly at Gumi for a moment, then staggered over to Harvest, who caught him as he collapsed into her arms. "Harvest…"

"Hunter, what happened?" Harvest asked, carefully guiding him over to a wall, where he sat down with a heavy thud. "Where's mom and Blue? Why are you hurt?"

"We went… to Honey Grove, but we were attacked. I got away, but mom and Blue… they're still there," Hunter replied.

"Attacked?" Harvest exclaimed, "But how? Miss Vespiquen never lets anyone bad into the grove."

"Harvest… we were attacked by Vespiquen. We were going to ask for some honey, but she attacked us. She was really angry… she thought we were trying to steal it."

Harvest clapped her paws over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. "Mom would never steal honey, especially not from Miss Vespiquen! Something bad must have happened to her…"

"I don't know… I tried to fight her off, but I think Vespiquen hit me with a poison sting. It took all my energy just to get here…" He winced and went limp as the last of his energy finally left him.

"Hunter?" Harvest shook him, but other than his ragged breathing there was no response. "Oh no…" Harvest looked around frantically for a moment and then looked at Gumi.

"Miss Zorua, please get me a pecha berry! There are some further inside," she said. Gumi blinked, surprised by the sudden order. Harvest was practically glaring at her. "Hurry!"

"Uh… okay." Still struggling with her legs, Gumi and walked as quickly as she could into the cave. It didn't take her long to find a pile of berries resting on a pile of leaves. She quickly picked out a large pink one that she was sure was a Pecha berry. She carefully picked it up by the stem with her teeth and brought it up to Harvest, who took the berry and held it up to Hunter's mouth.

Hunter's nose twitched, and with a surprising burst of ferocity grabbed the berry and gobbled it down. He leaned against the wall and sighed in contentment. "Ah, that was really good. I feel better already," he said, wiping some juice away from his mouth. "Thank you, Harvest." He looked from Harvest to Gumi, and his expression suddenly hardened. "Wait, is… is that a zorua? Harvest, why is there a zorua in our cave?"

"I found her in Whistle Woods… she was so exhausted that she had fainted on the road," Harvest said nervously. "She's… still a little tired, but she's a nice pokemon, I think."

Gumi shifted nervously as Hunter continued to stare, but he looked away and began to stand up. "No matter… I have to go back," he said, bracing himself against the wall. "I can't just leave our family in there." He took a few steps towards the exit, but his legs gave out under him and he dropped his all fours.

Harvest ran to his side to help him back up. "Hunter, you can't go back. You're too badly hurt already. One pecha berry isn't going to make you well enough to go out there..."

"But what else can we do?" Hunter replied, trying to pull away from his sister's support. "We can't leave them, and it'd take too long to send a message to the wardens…"

Harvest frowned, sucking on her free paw as she guided her brother back to a sitting position. Suddenly, she blurted out, "What if I went instead?"

Hunter shook his head. "It's too dangerous for you, Harvest. Especially by yourself…"

Harvest clenched her paws. "I… I can handle it! And I won't be alone! Miss Zorua can help me too! Right?" she said, looking at Gumi.

"Uh…" Gumi blinked, startled by the sudden declaration. She'd barely paid attention to the family drama unfolding in the cave, instead focusing on the more pressing matter of her suddenly being a pokemon. She didn't expect to be suddenly asked to go into danger with a stranger to rescue a stranger. It sounded like a dire situation, and she felt sorry for these pokemon, but could she really help them, when she hardly knew what was happening herself?

She looked at Harvest's pleading face. She didn't know if she could say no to her, not when she was this desperate. She'd been nothing but friendly and helpful, and she knew that there was no option but to return the favor.

"...Okay. I'll go with you."

Harvest's face lit up, and before Gumi could prepare herself the teddiursa had wrapped her in a crushing hug. "Thank you, Miss Zorua! You won't regret this!" She kept it up for a moment longer and finally released Gumi, leaving the zorua gasping for air.

I think I'm regretting it already, she thought, trying in vain to get her fur straight, but quickly gave up. She wasn't even supposed to have fur, let alone worry about how it looked. "My name isn't 'Miss Zorua', though. My name is Gumi."

Harvest smiled. "Gumi… that's a pretty name," she said, and turned to her brother. "We're going now, Hunter… please rest, okay? We'll be back with mom and Blue before you know it!"

Hunter nodded, "Okay… but please be careful, okay? I don't want to lose you too." He gave Gumi a glare that clearly said don't you dare let her get hurt.

"We will." She turned to Gumi. "Follow me, Miss Gumi! I know the way to Honey Grove like the back of my paw!"

"O-okay."

Harvest stepped out of the cave entrance, and with surprising speed she ran into the forest. Gumi barely had enough time to start running after her simply so she could keep the teddiursa within sight. It seemed like she'd barely been awake for a few minutes, and now she'd promised to help these pokemon rescue their family from an angry vespiquen. She could hardly comprehend it.

What am I getting into…?