2 ~ The Village
After waking up from what seemed to be an eternal sleep, the girl took the time to stare at the palm of her hand. Strangely enough, the engraved moon was no longer completely black. At the very tip of one of the points was a shade of green, similar to the color of the moss that was on the other stone, as well as the color of the green-and-tan creature's leafy features. Sighing, the girl decided that she should find a way to get home before anything else happened to her. But, from all the confusion, she had become lost.
"That darn beast…" she muttered. "It could've brought my doom… Hmm… It was a hound-like creature, and it could've brought my doom… Houndoom! That'll fit!" she exclaimed. "And the creature I transformed into was fox-like with leaves… Leaffox? No… Leafbeast? No way! Ah! I got it! Leafeon! Although the 'eon' part really doesn't have to do with what I transformed into, it sounds cool!" she concluded, smiling. Now I should find out if there's anyone else here. Better get going…
An hour past. No sign of bare light whatsoever. The forest, as the girl had earlier described it, was most definitely vast. Millions and millions of palm trees surrounded her, and they seemed to…embrace her, like they never wanted her to leave. But it would be best if I got out, the girl thought, a hint of fear in her eyes. Suddenly, a flash of light shone in her direction, and she jumped up in surprise. The light then ceased, and, hoping that she was almost out, she ran in the direction the light had come from. I'm going to get out! But will I be in the area of the ship? she wondered.
The light from earlier shined brightly around a naked space where no palm trees were at. The girl looked around, even more surprised than before, and then looked at what seemed to be some sort of hut. Then, as if out of nowhere, more huts popped up in her view. A village? So there ARE people living here, right? She took time to ponder this thought, then decided it would be best to see if there was anyone around. She went up to the hut she had seen when she first entered earlier. After a few seconds, the door opened up, but it seemed like there was nothing there. The girl then felt something scratch her leg, and she looked down. A puppy-like creature was there, and it seemed to look up at her with wonder. It growled at her playfully, and she took her time to come up with another name. It growls… And it's a puppy… Growlithe! I don't exactly know how graceful it is, but my best bet is that it's full of grace. Plus, the creature's really cute! she decided, continuing to look at the cute beast. Then, a bigger creature came up from behind, and it looked like a larger version of the "Growlithe". It growled deeply at her, and she jumped back.
"Whoa, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you!" the girl exclaimed, a bit of fear in her voice. "Well, you're a canine, and you look like some sort of legendary dog… Arcanine! I hope you don't mind that name!" The "Arcanine" barked, as if OK with the name. "And you don't mind 'Growlithe', do you?" This time, she directed the question towards the smaller dog. It yipped in happiness, and the girl smiled. "Good. So… Can you speak my language? You seem to understand it." Both shook their heads, and a flash of genius burst in her head. She looked at her left hand, and closed it in a way so that it felt like she had that moss rock back in her hand. But nothing. She then decided that perhaps she needed to speak the number of the Leafeon.
"470…" she muttered, and instantly, the green light surrounded her, and when it had ceased, she was transformed.
"Whoa… How'd you DO that?" the Growlithe asked, and the girl (or really, Leafeon) now knew that somehow, whatever language they were probably speaking, it was universal amongst their kind.
"Um… Magic?" Leafeon responded, and Growlithe looked at her in amazement. Arcanine then snorted.
"Well, it's kind of…strange, don't you think? And didn't I tell you that…'Growlithe' isn't used to new things like this?" Arcanine sneered. Leafeon scowled at the thought.
"Well, sorry. But I couldn't understand you as a human. Do you know what we are exactly? I mean, you're Arcanine, and you're Growlithe, and I'm Leafeon right now… But do you guys have a specific class? Like how humans are homosapiens?" Leafeon asked out of curiosity.
"Mom here says we're 'Pokemon'! It's a combination between 'Pocketto Manzutas' and 'Pocket Monsters'! They both mean the same thing, but 'Pockemon' doesn't work, and 'Pokeman' sounds just weird!" Growlithe exclaimed merrily. Her tail (Leafeon decided it was a "she") was wagging furiously.
"Why 'Pokemon', or more specifically, why 'Pocket Monsters'? You guys don't seem to be pocket-sized…" Arcanine chortled at that.
"Wow, typical of one of the more modern humans. I don't know much, but… In the earlier days, humans came up with contraptions called 'Monster Balls', although some called them 'PokeBalls'. If a Pokemon was worn out from battling another Pokemon or it was just tired, the human would capture it with this kind of contraption. And somehow, they'd fit into the human's pocket. Apparently, the contraption could shrink not only itself, but also the Pokemon inside it, regardless of the Pokemon's size," she explained carefully. Leafeon nodded her head, still a bit confused.
"HEY! YOU TWO! WHO'S THE NEWBIE?" a loud, almost ear-breaking sound shouted (or maybe spoke, Leafeon couldn't tell) behind them.
"Ugh! Could you be any louder?" Leafeon yelled, so she could hear her voice. "You're loudly dreadful, so I think I'll call you 'Loudred'! You better like it, 'cause it fits!" Loudred sneered.
"WELL, EXCUSE ME, PRINCESS! I DIDN'T KNOW THE NAMING COMMITTEE WAS GOING AROUND!!! BUT THEN AGAIN, HUMANS JUST GAVE US STRANGE 'NICKNAMES', SO WE NEVER HAD A SPECIFIC NAME FOR WHAT WE WERE!!!" he replied. Arcanine sighed.
"Yes. Nicknames. I'm assuming the name you gave yourself and the names you gave us are for our specific breed in general, correct?" Arcanine asked. Growlithe looked curiously at Leafeon.
"… Yes…" Leafeon sighed. "Sorry that you don't get your own independent names, but…" Growlithe shook her head.
"It's alright, Leafeon!" she replied merrily. "It's better than being called 'you' or 'creature' or anything like that! The humans that came here did that, and mother toasted them all!" Arcanine glared at her daughter.
"Growlithe! Don't tell this half-human here!" she snarled. Loudred looked at Leafeon in amazement.
"YOU'RE HUMAN???" he shouted, nearly blasting Leafeon back.
"Yes, I am. I first transformed with a stone that had had the number '470' on it, and now it seems I can transform into a Leafeon whenever I say '470'!" Loudred looked at Leafeon with the same amazement Growlithe had had.
"HEY, I THINK I FOUND A STONE JUST LIKE THAT! AND I BROUGHT IT WITH ME TO SHOW TO ARCANINE! SHE'S GOOD T FIGURING THINGS OUT!" he exclaimed. He handed the stone to Leafeon. It was completely purple, and it had "#196" engraved in it.
"IT WAS ORIGINALLY GRAY LIKE ANY OTHER BORING OL' ROCK, BUT THE NEXT DAY, I FOUND IT LIKE THIS! AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE PAINTED IT!!!" Loudred explained. Leafeon looked at it. Maybe I can transform back, then see if I can transform into this, she thought.
"Human!" she yelled, but she didn't feel anything happen. "Alright then… 470!" The green light shone around her again, and she was human. She spit the stone from her mouth (as she couldn't hold it with her paw while she was Leafeon), and she held the new stone in her left hand.
Another light, purple this time, blasted around her. When it had stopped, she was in a completely different form. It was cat-like, but also similar to a carbuncle (which the girl knew was mythological). She was purple with purple whisker-like things attached to her cheeks, and a tail with a split at the end. Whoa. How strange… she thought.
"You look cool!" Growlithe said. "You even have a red jewel in the middle of your forehead! And your eyes are a mysterious purple!" The girl sighed.
"Well… I feel…strange… Like I can use psychic powers… And it reminds me a bit of Leafeon… Espeon! 'Cause 'ESP' and to go with the 'eon' in 'Leafeon', since this form reminds me of it…" she concluded. The three Pokemon looked at her in confusion. "Sorry, I guess I just like naming new things…" Espeon said, blushing. "By the way, are you the only ones in this village?"
"First off, it's not 'this village'. Its name is Raye Village, although plenty like to call it 'Sunbound Village' because it's the only place in the Palme Forest that has the sun completely shining through," Arcanine growled.
"OK. Raye Village, Palme Forest. Got it," Espeon interrupted.
"AND (don't you dare interrupt me again), there are five more Pokemon living in this village, one being the mayor, a small fellow. Perhaps you can name them all, too?" Arcanine finished. Espeon nodded. Perhaps I can, perhaps I can't. Could give it a try, I suppose… For some reason, when she was a Pokemon, Espeon (or even Leafeon) forgot she was actually human now. It was probably because she had been staying in Pokemon form just to converse with the natives of this strange village. She didn't realize it herself, but what could happen to her if she stayed a Pokemon for a long time?