"How's the alien?" Captain Janeway asked the Doctor.

"Unconscious, but not seriously harmed."

"What have you learned about its physiology?"

"I've run a through bioscan, and it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. Though it may look like a lower lifeform with its quadruped body, a scan of its brain reveals that it is extremely intelligent, matching or possibly exceeding the intelligence of an average human. It also has a peculiar organ in its thoracic cavity which secretes and stores a highly volatile fluid, with a tubule leading to its mouth. At rest, the fluid fuels a flame that is constantly burning within the organ, which was likely responsible for our... friend's little performance in pyrotechnics. Parts of its body is over 150 degrees Celsius and the flame generating organ can reach ten times that. To cope with these high temperatures, it has evolved to secrete special chemicals to prevent the water in its body from boiling. Its skin acts as an insulator, preventing the heat from escaping. Nevertheless, it is quite warm to the touch."

"Incredible…", Janeway gasped.

"What's even more incredible is its DNA. Each cell contains two completely separate genomes, with one genome supressed by attached inhibitor molecules. I predict that under the right conditions, this alien can switch between the two genomes, changing its appearance and physiology nearly instantaneously."

"Create a level ten containment field around the surgical bay, and revive it.", Janeway told the Doctor. Light flashed for an instant at the entrance to the surgical bay as the Doctor loaded a hypospray, and injected a stimulant into the alien.

"Wh… Where am I?" Almond asked nervously as she awoke.

"You're on the Federation Starship Voyager.", Janeway introduced, "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway and this is our Chief Medical Officer."

"Y… You're a human!"

Janeway sounded surprised, "You know about humans?"

"Yeah? There was a human who…"

"Let's continue this conversation later. Now, what I really want to know is who are you and why have you boarded my ship?", Janeway said sternly.

"My name is Almond and I'm a Vulpix. I… I was exploring a cave, and I fell into some kind or portal, and the next thing I know I was here. Where's Quartz? Where's my partner?!"

"I don't know anything about your partner, but you say you fell through a portal? And you're an explorer?"

"Y… Yeah. We… my partner and I are members of Wigglytuff's guild, and we were exploring a mystery dungeon when I lost my footing trying to climb down a valley, and I fell into this disk thing."

"The portal?"

Almond nodded.

"And your partner?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure if he fell in as well, but I hope he's alright.", Almond sounded even more worried than before.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you, but you attacked one of my crewmen, so we had to stun you and bring you here."

"He has third degree burns covering over seventy percent of his body. He was in an extreme amount of pain and almost didn't survive.", the Doctor added.

"I… I'm sorry! I was scared and I panicked! I didn't know it would hurt him that much but I guess humans are less resilient than Pokemon, and… and….", Almond stammered, tears forming in her eyes.

"I understand. You were afraid, so you acted in self defence. If I were in your position, I would probably have done the same thing.", Janeway comforted her.

"And I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the crewman in question will make a full recovery, thanks to yours truly.", the Doctor added.

"So what's going to happen to me?", Almond asked, still afraid that she will be punished for harming the human.

"That's up to you. I have no intention of keeping you aboard Voyager against your will, and I'm sure you want to get home, and see if your partner is okay.", Janeway said.

Almond nodded.

"However, if you wish to stay aboard, I'm sure something can be arranged, perhaps until you find a way to get home."

"Really? I don't want to be a bother."

"You could become a valuable member of this crew, if you wish, of course."

"So I really can stay?"

Janeway nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like that, at least until I get my bearings. Thank you, guildmaster… I mean, captain."

Janeway smiled, "You're welcome."

"I guess, since I'm here, could I help with anything?", Almond said, somewhat excitedly.

"You should rest for now.", the Doctor replied, "I'd like to keep you under observation at least for tonight, make sure your physiology is adapting to our environment. Get some sleep."

Almond nodded.

"One last thing…", the captain said, "I'm curious about your species and where you came from. Would you mind telling me more about you and your home? You also used two different words to describe your kind: 'Vulpix' and 'Pokemon'. How do they relate?"

"Well, I'm a Vulpix, which is the name of my species, and 'Pokemon' is, I guess the higher biological classification that encompasses nearly all of the creatures where I come from. I'm from Treasure Town, a place inhabited by only Pokemon, but I'm not sure how to get there from here. I'm nineteen years old and an explorer at Wigglytuff's guild, a place where Pokemon work to explore the world and help other Pokemon. I mostly explore mystery dungeons with my partner, Quartz. It's hard to describe what a mystery dungeon is, but I guess it's a place where the laws of physics are different and where all kind of unusual and fascinating things happen. They're amazing places to explore but they can also be dangerous if you're unprepared. Sometimes we even find treasure!"

"Fascinating. Thank you, Almond. Now, like the Doctor said, why don't you get some rest. It will help your mind to settle.", Janeway said as she left sickbay.

To her own surprise, Almond actually managed to sleep mostly through the night. She had expected to be awake and thinking about how she got here, and what she was going to do now, but she was so exhausted from everything that's happened that she fell asleep fairly quickly. When she awoke, she half expected to find herself in her bed at the guild, but instead she saw the same surgical bay the she had been in, the doctor typing into a grey, flat device.

"I guess this isn't a dream after all.", she thought to herself. She hesitated for a few minutes, before alerting the Doctor that she was awake.

"Ah, good morning!", the Doctor greeted her as he turned on the lights, "How did my favorite Pokemon sleep last night?"

"I slept fine, thank you!" Almond smiled as she sat up from the bed.

"The captain and I took the liberty last night of informing the crew about you. If you'd like to walk around, meet a few of them, I'd be glad to accompany you."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you!", Almond replied, feeling nervous but also a little excited. She prepared to jump off the biobed, but hesitated slightly after seeing how high up off the ground it was. Seeing this, the Doctor grabbed hold of her front paw as he helped her lower herself onto the ground.

"Let's first stop by Astrometrics, where Seven of Nine has done some research into the phenomenon that brought you here. The captain has asked that you be there when she reports her findings. After that, I believe a trip to the mess hall is in order. You can get some food and meet lots of new faces."

As the two reached the sickbay door, it slid open in response. Almond was amazed by this, as she did not see any humans nearby to operate the door. Standing in the doorway after the Doctor had passed through it, she eyed the door curiously, wondering how it knew when to open and what kind of technology allowed it to move. Suddenly, the door began to close, causing Almond to jump. She quickly leaped out of the threshold, narrowly avoiding having one of her six tails pinched.

"You okay?", the Doctor asked.

"I'm fine. It's just… I've never seen this before!"

Almond followed the doctor to Astrometrics, to the surprise of both of them, her four paws easily kept up with the Doctor's walking pace. Nevertheless, the fox Pokemon looked out of place in a hallway designed for humans, with many of the buttons and consoles being far out of her reach. They soon entered a dimly lit room with a large screen on the far wall, which displayed a multitude of graphs, tables and other data that Almond could not understand. In the background, the screen showed a brilliant field of stars. Almond wondered what all this meant but her ponderings were soon cut short as she was greeted by the captain and a female human that she had not seen before.

"Almond. Species: Vulpix, designation number unknown.", the human beside the captain stated, glancing over from what looked like a control panel that stood in the center of the astrometrics lab.

"Yep… that's me?"

"My name is Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One, but you may call me Seven of Nine, or Seven."

"It's nice to meet you… Seven.", Almond said nervously. She wondered how Seven of Nine had gotten her strange name, but didn't ask for fear it would offend or even anger her.

"I have completed a preliminary analysis of the anomaly that occurred at 1830 hours on deck three, section five. I discovered that the anomaly consisted of a theta-type tachyon displacement field with a moderate temporal phase shift. The phenomenon is consistent with the formation of a subspace rift, with its exit point in a different dimension."

"Incredible.", Janeway commented, "You're an extra-dimensional organism!"

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Almond replied, slightly bewildered by Seven's explanation. She eyed the gold haired human cautiously, who wore a strange metal apparatus above her right eye and a star-shaped metallic piece near her left ear. Almond was taken aback by her tone, as she sensed no emotion in her speech. She then turned her thoughts to what Seven had said.

"I'm in a different dimension? One with humans? How?", Almond thought silently, "And… 'temporal phase shift'? I remember something about how time was messed up many years ago, but I thought it was fixed! Does that mean that the time gears are still…"

"I will continue to research methods of reopening the subspace rift to your dimension, with the hopes that it will permit you to cross in order to return home.", Seven of Nine added, interrupting Almond's thoughts, "However, I am unsure of how long this may take or if it is even possible. Furthermore, due to the temporal phase shift, the rift may only allow passage in one direction. There is also a possibility that sending you back may cause damage to the temporal integrity of your dimension."

"Temporal integrity? Tacheon displacement field?", Almond thought as she took on a worried expression. Sensing this, the captain quickly jumped in: "I'm sure Seven will find a way. This isn't the first time we've dealt with spatial and temporal anomalies. It's best not to worry right now."

"Captain, if that is all, I would like to continue my research.", Seven of Nine stated.

"Dismissed.", Janeway stated.

"Now, Almond, what do you say we go to the mess hall?", the Doctor said.

As the two made their way to the mess hall, they came across many crew members. Some greeted Almond with bewilderment, some with a hint of fear, but many more either ignored her or responded with curiosity and friendliness, even waving to her or saying hi. Almond eyed the passing humans cautiously. Before today, she only had only known humans from stories and legends, and until today only had a vague sense of what they looked like based on drawings and written descriptions. All of the creatures she saw looked vaguely human: they were tall, walked on two legs, and had hair on the top of their heads. However, some of the creatures looked less human than others. One had blue skin, while another had a distinctive wrinkle on her nose. The humans' clothing were another oddity as they looked nearly identical, save for a few differences in color.

"Could this be a human guild?", she wondered, "Or maybe it's just where they live, their town?"

Almond wanted to ask the doctor these questions, but was nervous to, fearing that she would come off as offensive or bothersome. As they were nearing their destination, the Doctor was called to report to sickbay, leaving a shy and nervous Almond to head to the mess hall alone.

"Why, I believe that's our newcomer!", Neelix announced as Almond entered the mess hall. Most of the crew in the mess hall turned to look at the Vulpix, making her take a nervous step back.

"I've been expecting you! My name is Neelix, by the way.", Neelix continued as Almond climbed onto a chair, "And I've whipped up something just for you!" Neelix brought out a plate with a piece of roast chicken and some gravy. Realizing that she was too short to sit comfortably in the chair, Almond leaped up onto the table. She sniffed the food item curiously, but a shocked look appeared on her face when she realized what it was.

"I-Is something wrong?", Neelix inquired.

"Th… This is meat!"

"It is! Judging by those sharp teeth of yours I assumed you're a carnivore, so I whipped you up some chicken! Y-You don't like it?"

"Well… I guess I'm technically a carnivore, but it's… it's just that where I come from we have decided that taking the life of another creature to feed yourself isn't okay…"

"Oh, well you don't have to worry about that on Voyager! See, we have something called a replicator, which creates matter from energy, so this technically isn't real meat from an animal. It's just chemicals specially formulated to exactly resemble meat."

"I… I don't know…"

"Try it! You might end up liking it and you can rest assured that you're not harming an animal!"

Almond grabbed hold of the knife Neelix had given her and cut a small piece from the roast chicken. Piercing it with a fork, she cautiously brought it up to her mouth, but shuddered in disgust when the piece touched her tongue.

Meanwhile, Tuvok had just entered the mess hall, and noticing Almond, walked up to her.

"Is there a problem?"

"Um… 'Neelix' asked me to try the 'chicken', but I have always been taught to never, ever eat meat because a creature has to be harmed to get it. He says this is 'fake' meat but…", Almond explained, and couldn't help but notice that the pointed ears of the creature she was speaking to.

"I understand. As a Vulcan, I too have a distaste for eating even replicated meat." Tuvok said as he took the plate from Almond's table, "I will replicate you some vegetables."