A Home Like No Other
Chapter 3
The air was cold and stale. It was an odd thing to notice, regardless of one's situation, but that's the first thing Amy took note of as she awoke from her restless slumber. Her whole body felt stiff – sore even, but it wasn't anything that a good massage couldn't handle. She shifted a bit on the hard bed she lay on before finally reaching up and pushing the thin blanket off of her.
Still only half-awake, she let out a silent groan as she felt the blanket fall off the bed and onto the floor. She cracked open an eye, only to have it stabbed by the piercing lights hanging overhead. She groaned again, rubbing at her eyes as she sat up and glanced around the room. It was bright, with walls painted a stark white and fluorescent lights that dared any shadow to even exist. There were what looked like examination tables mounted on the walls every few steps, but what was most interesting was how the room seemed to quite literally go on forever towards the left. The other direction, however, was quite normal in that there was a wall that ended in a heavy looking double door. Amy went to rub at her eyes one more time, relishing how it felt to have a human arm and a human hand in which to perform the action. That's when her breath caught as the realization finally dawned on her.
She was human!
It was true. Every part of her was human again. There were no paws, only hands and feet. And where fine lilac fur had been seemingly seconds ago, only bare skin remained. Had it all been a dream the whole time? But it felt so real. She continued her self-examination, taking note at how pristine her body looked; there were no apparent injuries to her person – not even any scars remained from the crash. That was a bit odd. Going off of a gut feeling, she pinched her arm, only to be met with a sharp pain. That meant that this was real... right? She glanced towards the left, watching as the examination tables stretched on towards the horizon. Things weren't adding up, and it was really starting to put her off. But the perturbation became panic as she took another look at herself and noticed something of grest importance: beneath the thin fabric of the plain hospital gown tied around her was a perfectly flat tummy.
Where was her baby?!
Just like that, Amy flung herself off of the examination table she had been on and onto the cold tile below. She wobbled and swayed a bit as she regained her balance, looking around wildly for any signs of life. But there was none to be found. Something was wrong!
"Hello?" She called out in near hysterics, "Is anyone here? Please, I need help!"
No response.
Still looking about, Amy's eyes were eventually drawn to the heavy double door that sat imposingly within its frame, staring both her and the infinite room down with its unwavering presence. Seeing no better option, she ran towards the door, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. She put her hands on the crash bars and pushed them open with a bit of effort. Stepping through the doorframe and out of what could only have been a morgue, she was met with what looked like any other hallway inside of a hospital. The walls were still a barren white, but with a much more smooth and seamless gray-blue tile, as opposed to the shower tiles lining the previous room. Turning her head to the right, she was met with a long stretch of hall that must've been at least a mile long. But when she turned her head left, she felt the color drain from her face and every hair on her body stand on end.
Darkness. It was an overwhelming presence that was darker than any moonless night she had ever seen, the absolute antithesis of light that mankind feared on the most primal of levels. But even that wasn't giving enough credit to the nightmarish shadow plaguing the opposite end of the hallway. Something else was there, waiting in the black that no light could peer into. Twisting... Clawing...
The infinitely dark hallway shifted, and the shadows moved. Whatever was in there had its eyes set on her and wasn't intending to let its prey escape. Every alarm in her head was going off, telling her to turn and run for her life, but Amy could only stand there with her feet frozen in place, caught like a deer in the headlights. The shadows moved again, and the darkness was suddenly an inch closer. She could now bear the sound of snowy static as it suddenly seemed to drone from everywhere at once, drawing closer alongside whatever lay at the end of the hall. Something in her mind finally clicked as the shadows crawled forward yet again, and she turned around to shoot off in a dead sprint.
Amy pumped her legs as hard as she could, listening as the deafening static grew louder and louder. She didn't dare look back, for fear of how close the surely pursuing shadows could've been. With her heart now racing and her legs beginning to burn from exertion, she continued her mad dash towards the second set of doors that sat at the end of the hallway. The strange noise continued to grow impossibly louder, but still she refused to look back. She could now begin to feel something nip at her bare feet as they pounded ever harder on the cold tile to push her away from the danger. In just a few more seconds, she had reached the doors, ramming her shoulder into the crash bar and sending her sprawling into the next room. Only, there was no next room.
Amy lay disoriented and gasping for breath on the muddy ground as she rolled onto her back, eyes darting around for any signs of what had been giving chase. However, instead of seeing a door bursting with malignant darkness, she now found herself staring into the stony faces of unmarked headstones. She was in a cemetery.
Shakily, Amy rose to her feet once more. The world around her was now shrouded in a deafening silence beneath an overcast sky; in fact, the only sounds she heard were that of her panting and the squashing of wet ground between her toes. What the actual hell was happening? This couldn't be reality, yet this somehow felt just as real as the morning she had climbed into the Suburban for the last time, or when she had woken up in a new world that shouldn't have even existed. Had she actually gone insane somehow? Just to be sure of it, she raised her hand to her face and slapped it across her cheek. There was a crack as flesh met flesh and the young woman staggered, her vision being flooded with stars. It hurt, which shouldn't be possible in a dream. So what was this?
Her eyes continued to train across her surroundings until they passed over the sight of an open grave with a simple casket that sat closed at its edge. There were a few rows of folding chairs set out in front of it and a short folding table covered with a cheap tablecloth and holding a bouquet arranged neatly alongside several framed pictures that she couldn't really see from her current viewing angel. It was a humble procession, but there was no one there to mourn the dead or even read scripture. A quiet death that no one would ever remember. Amy felt herself moving closer to the casket, if only to satisfy the morbid curiosity that had suddenly taken over her mind. Gone were all thoughts of what was happening or where her baby had gone; all she wanted to know was who's funeral tis was. As she stepped around to the front of the casket and stared into the printed faces in the photographs, she got an answer that made her blood run cold with ice.
It was for her! She snapped back into focus as her own eyes locked with the bright and lively hazel of her photographic copies. There were several pictures that she remembered, such as the one on the right with her parents right beside her, or the one next to it that had been taken on her graduation day, but there was one that caught her eye over all the others. Sitting in the center was an image of herself that she didn't recognize: she was on the ground, her features battered and frozen in a look of agony. There was a large, nasty cut on her cheek, a pool of blood forming beneath her head, and an eye that was swollen closed. Was this supposed to be her when she had been dying?
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she heard a creaking noise coming from the casket. Amy watched with baited breath, heart pounding rhythmically in her chest, as the lid began to slowly lift on its own. Her eyes widened in horror as she drank in the broken visage of her own body after she had crashed. Her clothes were in tatters, her skin was a ghostly white, and her body was covered in large gashes that had long since drained of blood. But it was what she held that made her cover her mouth to withhold a scream.
In the savaged and mangled arm of this copy was a bloody ball of flesh that was barely recognizable as human, but she knew right then and there that it was supposed to be the lifeless body of her own baby. She suddenly felt the urge to vomit, but her attention was torn away from the grizzly sight when she realized that this dead version of herself was still moving.
The copy's good arm was twitching intermittently, its glazed and vacant eyes flicking about before finally locking with her own. Amy felt a worming sensation in her stomach as her own dead hand reached out clumsily in a vain attempt to clasp her living one. There was a look in those lifeless eyes that she couldn't fully describe, but the hand was still reaching, still growing closer. The imposter's mouth was moving, but there were no words, only a strangled noise that sounded like a desperate wheeze. Closer still the hand reached, and then Amy wondered, just for one fleeting moment, what would happen if she were to touch it – to feel her own cold and lifeless skin in the palm of her hand. By the time she realized how twisted her thoughts were, it was too late. The corpse was now leaned over the side of the casket, the pale arm clutching her wrist with an iron grip. The sensation was indescribable, giving her entire body goosebumps before she was violently pulled across the table with surprising strength, sending its contents tumbling to the muddy ground as she found herself mere inches away from her own ghastly face.
Amy stared into her own dead eyes as the pale lips of her mirror tried to move once again. Now she finally recognized the emotion that was gracing the face that was supposed to be void of all things. Hatred. The copy's lips continued to work, finally making a coherent sentence for the first time since its death.
"This... This is all your fault..."
The voice was strained and raspy, but the spite was unmistakable. It continued to speak, their voice growing louder and much more heated as it continued.
"It's... It's all your fault! You killed us! Not me, but you!"
Amy was once more frozen in terror as she listened to her own undead copy grow even louder. It was her voice, but it wasn't. Never in her whole life had she known it possible to inject this much malice, this much evil, into any voice – let alone her own. And it continued to seethe and roil with every word that rolled off of the cold tongue that was hers, yet wasn't.
"You ruined everything! We had the perfect life planned out for us, but nooo, you just had to give into impulse. You're stupid! Stupid and selfish! We didn't deserve the pain, but you sure as hell did!"
The voice was ear-piercing now, her words barbed with a cold iron that tore through flesh and bit through bone just so it could slice at her heart. The banshee screeched in fury as she continued to attack her now struggling counterpart with her undeniable truths.
"You should have died, but you didm't. And now look, you're a freak of nature who can barely wrap her mind around things! You deserved every broken bone and every agonizing second at the bottom of that ditch, but you didn't deserve a second chance! So I'm taking you down with me!"
With a mighty tug, Amy was pulled into the casket, the lid slamming shut above her as she tumbled in. There was no dead visage of herself inside the coffin, only her own fears, insecurities, and the darkness. Now she was falling impossibly far into the nothingness. She screamed in agony as the shadows grasped and tore away at her human form, until nothing but a writhing Espeon was left alone in the emptiness. Yet the darkness still persisted, clawing at her body as it was swept away by a capricious wind within the never-ending fall. It felt like she was being ground to dust, everything being taken from her just as it had been as she lay in the thralls of death. She had lost so much already, but still the shadows hungered for more.
–-
Amy woke with a violent start, letting out a panicked cry and nearly tumbling off of the pillow that was her new bed. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she could feel tears streaming down her face. It took several moments to realize that she was back in the small room from which she had first woken up as a Pokémon the day prior. The Luminous Moss that Gallia had left was now only glowing faintly as the bright light of the morning filtered through the closed shutters. She was still in Merri Village, trapped in a world where incredible and terrifying creatures reigned supreme. It was in that moment of waking up to the encroaching light that any doubts she still had finally died along with her humanity. WHat she had just experienced was a horrible nightmare, and what she was experiencing now was very much real.
It's all your fault!
Amy felt herself wince at the words she had heard from the apparent nightmare; but it was true, wasn't it? If she hadn't been so careless, so stupid, everything would still be okay. She wouldn't have crashed, and both her and her child would still be human. There was no other way to put it: her reckless mistake was the sole reason that she and her child were sitting here, transformed into some... monsters that shouldn't have existed to begin with.
She wanted to be angry, to seek out retribution – even if it was on herself, but she suddenly felt too drained to do anything. It was the emptiness from yesterday, that void that had slowly worked its way into her core. She had tried to fight it, but she had lost. And it was in this defeat that the true identities of this darkness had been revealed. Grief and depression.
There was no point in even trying to deny it, she had been fighting these feelings all evening the day before, but that dream had dealt the final blow, and now this internal darkness had a firm grip on her and wouldn't relent. She had lost her friends, most of her family, everything she had worked towards in life – even her own humanity was forfeit. Was there even a point in carrying on after all this? Was the imposter in her nightmare right in saying that she should've just died? Should she... Should she just-
"N-No!" Amy suddenly cried out. She couldn't think like that, she just couldn't! She needed help and she needed it now! And if there was one person – or Pokémon, rather – that could help her in sorting out her emotions, it was surely Gallia. But could she wait for the Gardevoir? Could she really risk not seeing her now, and possibly fall even further into this abyss?
"No..."
Her voice was quiet, yet it held a weight all its own. Every second spent like this was one second too many, she could feel it. Yet she couldn't move. It was as if the shadows were still there in spite of the rising sun, chaining her to the pillow. A small part of her felt compelled to get up, to still fight, but the rest had resigned to her own self-pity. It was an internal war, that was the only way to describe it. Slowly, her weary mind fought to lift herself off of where she lay. Her body felt like lead moving through a tar pit, but she eventually rose to all fours, awkwardly wiping the tears away.
Should I even bother with all this? a part of her thought to herself. Oh, how she wanted to just plop back down on the pillow, but deep down she knew that this was what had to be done. With much hesitation, she took a step, making sure to remember how she was supposed to walk now. Grueling step after grueling step, she moved across the room that now seemed to stretch on forever. It wasn't until she'd already crossed the rolling sea of wooden planks and reached the curtain that the full realization of what she was doing began to set in. Here she was, a hair's width away from the gateway to the rest of a world she knew practically nothing about, and she was about to go out and quest for the closest thing she could call a friend, all just to get this horrible feeling to go away.
You're stupid! Stupid and selfish!
The voice of the doppelgänger echoed in her ears, the painful words making her flinch once again. Was it really selfish of her to ask Gallia to help? Amy knew that feeling this way was wrong, but would she just be taking advantage of the Gardevoir and her abilities – or worse, just dragging her down as well? Was she being a burden to the Pokémon? A piece of her said no, but the rest was having a hard time coming to the same conclusion. So she stood there for several minutes, warring not just with doubts of her self-worth, but also with her fears. What was in store for her once she passed through the intimidating portal of fabric? Would it even be safe? Through a miracle and a half, she eventually managed to convince herself that this was something that couldn't wait, regardless of how she felt about it. So with slow and uncertain steps, she met the curtain and pushed through it as she left her room for the first time.
Outside of the room was... unremarkable. The hallway was narrow and sparsely decorated, consisting of the same bland planks of wood. There were, however, a few more curtained doorways that led into what Amy assumed to be other rooms for Gallia's patients. Were there other Pokémon hiding just behind them? The thought made her heart beat just a little faster than it already had been. She also noted an open doorway that led to some other room to the right, but what really caught her attention was the large door that she could only guess was the exit. It was certainly tall, but then again, she was certainly short. It was rather plain looking, perhaps even a bit crude, but the most curious feature was the shuttered opening that was latched shut at the bottom. It was similar to a doggy door, so they at the very least had four-legged creatures in mind when making it. Forcing herself to keep moving, Amy practically dragged her feet towards the small opening, glancing into the open doorway that sat to the right as she did so. It was thankfully vacant, furnished with a table, two simple chairs and a set of pillows similar to the one she had been living on. A sitting room, probably.
Paying no further mind to the room, she continued moving closer and closer to the door, also finding that it was becoming harder to keep going as it approached. Finally, she stopped in front of the opening, letting out a shaky breath that she didn't know was being held. Unlocking the shutter-like door seemed as easy as flipping the latch out of the mounted ring so that said door could swing freely on its hinges. She had no opposable thumb now, but the latch was simple enough so that all she had to do was put a paw underneath and raise it up. She did so, slowly raising a trembling paw to meet the latch. Before she gave herself the opportunity to talk herself out of it, she flung her paw upwards, knocking the latch out of the staple-like ring of metal it had been engaged to. Just like that, the opening had been unlocked and a perfectly timed breeze pushed it slightly ajar. This was it, she was so close to leaving; the only thing left to do was walk forward and push past the door and she would be on her way. She tried to take a step forward, but regardless of how much she struggled, she couldn't move a single paw.
She was afraid, no, terrified of what could be waiting just outside. Images of silhouetted figures with teeth like swords and pelts matted with blood filled her mind as her whole body quaked with anxiety. What would become of her if a not-so-friendly creature saw her. She was surely being reckless again.
You just had to give into impulse!
This time the words of her dead counterpart struck Amy in a different way. This is what that personified darkness would want her to do, wasn't it? To just stop because she didn't know what was ahead. A part of her knew she had to keep moving, to fight in spite of how she felt, but she was still afraid. She had no clue as to who or what was lurking about. And if their intentions were less than appealing, what was she to do then?
Come on you big dummy, think! Amy chastisedw herself, These Pokémon... they can't be bad, or at least not all of them. There's Gallia, obviously, and that Flareon guy seemed pretty concerned when he heard me scream.
Yeah, they couldn't all be bad. She was just overthinking things as usual. Going outside wasn't a reckless idea – heck, she could really use some fresh air and sunshine in her life right about now. And all she had to do was walk through the door. Amy took several deep breaths to calm herself down and stop her quivering before finally forcing herself forward once more. Fueled by her own little pep talk, she pressed her against the loose door and pushed past it, taking her first steps into a whole new world.
–-
Amy blinked a few times as her vision adjusted to the brightness outside. Her nose was immediately assaulted by several scents that threatened to overwhelm her as she was reunited with the same eternal breeze from yesterday. The first thing she noticed was that there were a lot of trees, almost like the place had become one with the forest. The second thing she noticed was that she was all alone. There wasn't a soul to be found amongst the trees, and aside from a small building or two that vaguely resembled log cabins, one wouldn't think this place was inhabited by anything except, well, animals. Turning around, Amy could see that the building she had come from looked similar to the first ones, only slightly larger. And when she looked down, she was met with the first real good look at herself... in a sense. She was standing in a wide patch of light streaming through the thin canopy, thus, the morning light gave her a perfect view of her shadow. Granted, she probably could've seen it earlier, but now it was clearly defined and she wasn't very distracted. The stretching silhouette looked more feline than anything, with her pronged tail flicking erratically and her swollen stomach on full display. But what really caught her eye were what seemed to be laying atop her head.
Are those my ears?! Oh my God, those things would be big on an elephant!
Amy paused for a moment, staring into her shadow for a little longer before letting out a quiet chuckle. Most wouldn't have given it a second though – laughing was just something people naturally did. But it meant a lot to Amy in that brief moment. It was almost therapeutic in a weird way, threatening the depression and easing the tension. But it was also what brought her back to attention. She still had to find Gallia and get a more permanent solution. Hesitating only for a moment, she started to walk further away from the building she had been staying in, exploring Merri Village for the first time.
There didn't seem to be much to the place as she took tentative steps along the road. She could see a few forking paths that had been treaded out over time – one of which was right outside of the building and she was now beginning to walk on. But aside from the occasional building she picked out from the trees as she scanned her surroundings, there wasn't anything remarkable she could see. Where were all the Pokémon? Was it too early for most of them to be up? Not quite sure which direction to even head in, Amy decided to keep following the path she was on. If nothing else, she could at least retrace her steps if she so desired. Taking another deep breath to steel herself, she put one of her back legs forward to take a step...
And then there was a rustling noise.
Amy's whole body tensed and her heart rate shot back up as she perceived the noise. It was faint, but she still heard it nonetheless. It seemed to have come from a shrub that sat a few feet away, next to a inconspicuous tree.
"H-Hello?" Amy called, "Is anyone there?"
No reply. Amy swallowed hard and took a few more steps, making sure her eyes were glued to the bush as she walked. Unfortunately, this only earned her a knock on the head as she unknowingly went off the road and ran right into a tree. She let out a quiet curse at her carelessness. The shrub rustled again, this time being accompanied by a squeaking laughter.
Now flustered and caught in the heat of the moment, Amy narrowed her eyes and huffed, marching right up to the bush. Pulling courage from seemingly nowhere. She pushed the limbs aside with some difficulty, preparing to confront whatever was hiding inside, but the words became lodged in her throat as she was met with what only could've been a large, purple rat.
"Oh, umm, hi Miss Espeon." The purple rat waved. "You're funny."
Amy suddenly felt a bit unsteady as she just stared at the creature before her,. It was a bit hard to make it out from the foliage, but it was indeed purple, as she'd previously established. It also had a cream-colored underside with a set of long whiskers that extended from its cheeks, while its tail sat motionless, long and curling in on itself at its end, but the main draw to this Pokémon was the large front teeth that sat in its mouth as it smiled back at her. It took a brief moment before Amy realized that it was looking at her expectantly. Right, she should probably talk to it. But what to say?
"You shouldn't play sneaky like that." Amy decided, sounding a lot more hostile than she intended. "I thought you were a monster or something."
"O-Oh, I'm sorry..." the rat said, seeming a bit deflated all of a sudden, "I was just spying. All the grown-ups kept saying Mister Sirden found an Espeon right outside the village, and Miss Gallia was taking care of them."
There was a sniffle as the Pokémon's nose twitched, was it about to cry? Just how young was this thing?
"I just wanted to meet you." The rat continued. "I only see Espeons in that one book, and I wanted to see a real one. I didn't mean to make you scared."
There were tears beginning to well up in its eyes. ANd just like that, Amy felt her heart begin to break. There was no other way to slice it: she had just scolded a child without meaning to and made the poor thing cry. Already the little adventure to find Gallia that she had envisioned was falling apart as this child sobbed quietly to itself. The guilt was already becoming too much to bear, which when coupled with how she was already feeling, didn't make things any easier. But deep down, she could feel something beginning to stir. It was a feeling that she couldn't readily describe, but she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to comfort this creature and make it happy. She thought of her own child, wondering if she was already developing a mothering nature from her being pregnant.
Without putting much more thought into it, Amy pushed herself into the shrubbery, trying her best to ignore how the twigs and small thorns scratched at her. Tenderly, she ran a paw across the head of the now bewildered Pokémon, speaking as soft as she could to it.
"It's okay," she huumed, "it was an honest mistake, and it was my fault for being upset to begin with. But I promise I'm not mad at you. How about this: why don't you come out of this bush so we can talk better, okay?"
The rat sobbed a few more times and eventually nodded. Carefully, Amy retreated from the shrubbery, having to face another round of scratches from the evil plant. The Pokémon followed in tandem, nimbly avoiding the thorns and pointed twigs as if it had doing this their entire life. Amy stopped next to the road, sitting on her haunches as the rat plopped down beside her, wiping away a stray tear.
"Let's start over." Amy said, "My name's Amy, do you have a name?"
The rat nodded again, the smallest of smile returning to its face. "Mhm, my name's Tiran." He paused. "Oh! And I'm very pleased to meet you."
"And where did such a cute thing get such good manners?" Amy asked with a chuckle.
The rat beamed proudly, his earlier demeanor returning in full. "Ma always tells me to be polite to other Pokémon. She always gets on to me when I'm not." He paused again. "...Are you feeling better now? Is that why you came out of Miss Gallia's healing hut?"
Amy was quiet for a moment before answering, trying her best to play her situation down. "I'm feeling a little better now, but I still think I'm kinda sick. I came out here because I really need to ask Miss Gallia about it. Do you know where she is?"
Tiran's face lit up even further. "Uh huh! She's super easy to get to from here, but Miss Gallia is probably asleep still. And Ma says she gets grumpy in the morning if you wake her up, but I can still show you if you want."
"That would be great! Thank you Tiran."
Tiran nodded yet again and let out another "Mhm" before finally heading off in the opposite direction that Amy had decided to go in just a few moments earlier. Amy trailed behind the smaller Pokémon as he padded along the path towards what she was hoping would be a quick fix to her issues. It was only then that it dawned on her what she'd also just accomplished: without missing a beat, she had confronted and interacted with another Pokémon! She couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself for doing such a thing – even if it had been with just a child. Hah, take that, dream version of me. I'm winning this fight now.
The two continued down the winding trail, coming into contact with no other Pokémon as they did so. It was a small detail, but it was one that made Amy a bit antsy. Finally, it got to the point that she couldn't help but ask.
"Hey Tiran, where is everyone? It doesn't seem early enough for this many peop – er – Pokémon to still be asleep."
"Oh, that's easy," Tiran replied, "all the grown-ups are at the clearing because Mister Nedos came in early. He brings lots of stuff to trade for, and he tries to help out everyone too! He's super awesome and super strong!"
Amy frowned slightly. Nedos? Sirden? Who were these guys? Obviously they were Pokémon, but what else? She decided not to worry too much about it – she may not even meet them anytime soon. Right now all she had to focus on was getting to Gallia and trying not to make anyone else cry in the process.
The walk went on for about another minute or two before anything else of interest happened. Tiran seemed to be in a good mood, and frankly, Amy was just beginning to feel good herself. For the first time since she'd woken up as a Pokémon, she felt like she might be able to smile without forcing it and tell someone to have a great day and actually mean it. They passed a larger tree and rounded a corner before they finally came into contact with two other Pokémon. And to Amy's great relief, she recognized both of them. It was Gallia, talking intently to Fury, the Flareon from yesterday.
"Wow, Miss Gallia is up really early today," Tiran said, "and she only looks a little grumpy too!"
Indeed, Gallia did look a bit less friendly than she'd seemed yesterday, but it was almost imperceptible unlrss you were looking for it to begin with. She was fully engrossed in her conversation with the Flareon, unaware of her surroundings. She was currently holding a woven basket with a blanket covering whatever lay inside and was currently finishing off one of the otherworldly berries as she talked. Both Amy and Tiran made their way over to the duo, only for the Flareon's ears to twitch repeatedly. He turned his head their way and his eyes went wide when he saw Amy approaching. He muttered something audible only to Gallia, and the Gardevoir turned around to see who was coming as well. Her dazzling ruby eyes flew open, mirroring Fury's reaction. She dropped the berry and hurried over, flicking her gaze back and forth between the two of them as she did so.
"Miss Amy!" she exclaimed, "What in the name of The Creator are you doing here?! And with little Tiran, no less!"
Every eye was on Amy now as she stood there with her newest acquaintance. This wasn't at all what she'd imagined it to be either. Suddenly she was in the company of three other Pokémon, and she was beginning to feel as though she'd bitten off more than she could chew. She glanced around at the faces as they continued to look at her, their gazes trailing every move.
"Uh – umm, hi Gallia..." Amy finally said with a nervous laugh, "I – er... I just had an important question to ask, so I thought it would be better to just find you myself and, uh, well... if you're busy I can just go-"
"N-No Miss Amy, this is quite fine, honestly!" Gallia interrupted. "I just assumed you wouldn't want to come out on your own for at least a few more days. I'm just surprised, is all."
"Wow." Another voice cut in, it was Fury, still staring wide-eyed at Amy, or rather, her stomach. "She really does look like she could pop at any time. Gallia, are you sure she still has a week until she-"
He never got the chance to finish before one of his front paws was stomped on by Gallia. The Flareon yowled in pain and hobbled around, firing off several obscenities that Amy didn't recognize.
"Don't be so insensitive." Gallia scolded. "It's rude to talk like that towards someone who's bearing a child."
The scene probably would have been hilarious to most, if the hysterical laughter from Tiran was anything to go by. But it was not to be in Amy's case, the message had already been received, and now there were a million questions swirling through her head. All she could do was stare up at Gallia, suddenly feeling very helpless and very afraid. The Gardevoir met her eyes only for a moment before takiing action to avert any incoming breakdowns.
"Well Fury, seeing as how my patient has arrived early – and a most notable feat it was – I believe it would be best to continue as I'd originally intended with her. Alone." She added in a stern look alongside the last word to silence the other Pokémon as he opened his mouth to protest. "Ah, and Tiran, thank you for accompanying Miss Amy, but you should return home. If your mother finds out that you've snuck away while she was asleep, you'll be in quite a lot of trouble."
With that, Gallia looked back towards Amy and beckoned her as she began walking, basket still in hand. Numbly, she followed the Gardevoir's lead, hardly noticing as the Flareon tried to suckle his afflicted paw and complained about healers who hurt more than heal. The two of them made it no further than just out of earshot before Amy looked back up at Gallia and addressed the elephant in the room.
"Just one week until I have my baby?!"
Gallia frowned. "Well, roughly one week. It could easily be longer... or not. But I had no idea that you weren't aware of how far along you were."
"I thought I knew how far along I was," Amy replied, putting forth a valiant effort to stay composed, "I was almost six months pregnant – I still had three months to go at most!"
Gallia gave an intrigued look. "Nine months for a pregnancy? That's far too long by our standards. Most Pokémon lay their eggs by two – maybe even three months."
Amy went rigid.
"Did you... Did you just say egg? Like the round things that baby animals hatch out of? That kind of egg?"
"Umm... Yes...? Do humans not lay eggs?"
That was the final straw, Amy could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate as the panic began setting in. She was still trying to come to terms with becoming a Pokémon, but now she had to do that alongside having her motherhood pushed forward? And all on top of having to lay an egg instead of giving live birth?! Her pace had quickened to the point that she felt like she was about to have a heart attack. What was she supposed to do? There was no proper hospital here as far as she knew, and her family wasn't here to support and comfort her. She was alone, and she was about to be a mother. She felt lightheaded, staggering a few steps before her legs gave out from underneath her. She fell...
...And never hit the ground; she was still upright. But how? Just as soon as it had came, all the panic and worry she felt began to ebb to near nothing as she sat there – her body being levitated by an unseen force. Looking over, she saw Gallia with her free arm outstretched and a look of concentration on her face, her eyes once again alight with the violet glow of her powers.
"Now now," she said, her voice as soothing and silver as it had been when they had first met, "there's no need for any of this fuss. As long as you stay with me, you'll be in capable hands. I can teach you everything you need to know about taking care of your egg and the kit that will hatch from it. I'm not sure if I can say the same for humans, but you're a Pokémon until further notice. Therefor, I know that you'll have strong maternal instincts that will come alongside your child. And it's not as if the egg will hatch the instant you lay it, it should be around one more month before it's ready to do that. You've nothing to fear."
With that, Gallia straightened her body up and set her down properly on all fours before dispelling both her telekinetic and empathetic influence. She could feel the uncertainty of everything snaking its way back in, but it felt more manageable somehow.
"Now then," Gallia said, "let's continue our little walk. We're going to eat a quick breakfast first, then I'll give you a more proper introduction to this humble home of mine."
Gallia continued walking as if nothing had happened, leaving a shaken Amy to follow as the Gardevoir contentedly made her way further down the trail. Amy didn't want to think about what she'd just learned, so she opted to distract herself by observing the rest of the village as they continued towards an unknown destination. The problem was, there wasn't anything worth observing to begin with. There were no more buildings to note as they continued, just trees, shafts of sunlight, and more trees.
"Gallia, where are we going?"
THe Gardevoir gave a reassuring smile. "Why, the beach of course. Have you ever been to one? I think they're quite relaxing and this one in particular is quiet. Can't you tell that this is a coastal village?"
Amy let the words sink in and mulled them over. A coastal village? That would explain the sea breeze that refused to stop blowing. She'd certainly been to a few beaches before, namely when she had accompanied her friends to go along the east coast, but how far away would they have to go? Her answer came unexpectedly fast in the form of her ears twitching on their own as they picked up a faint sound. If she focused, she could hear it: the telltale sound of waves crashing upon a shoreline. Scanning much more carefully, she eventually saw a sudden break in all the trees some distance ahead, revealing only blue sky and sparkling waters. They kept going until they reached the edge of the abruptly ending tree line that left them standing on a steep ridge that, as expected, overlooked a beach. And what a sight it was! The sands were a muted brown color and looked virtually untouched. There were a few footprints of creatures she couldn't name that led into the tide, but the place was deserted otherwise. It wasn't too large though, only spanning about the width of a football field – if even that – before being cut off by on either side by the ridge. It was both stunning and quaint all at once. Not at all like the beaches back home.
Gallia strode down an incline that had seemingly been cut out of the otherwise short-yet-unforgiving drop onto the beach. She gestured for Amy to follow, and she did, trying to balance her new center of gravity as she made her way down the slope. She stepped experimentally into the sand as she made it down, feeling the fine grains between the tiny digits on her paw. She couldn't help but marvel at how her paw pads cushioned her feet from the grainy texture beneath. She hurried along, keeping stride with Gallia until the were much further along the beach. Finally, the Gardevoir came to a graceful halt and looked around, setting down the basket once she confirmed that they were alone. She reached into the basket and pulled out the simple blanket that had been bundled into it, lifting it up and letting both gravity and the salty breeze unfold it for her – they were having a picnic. She gently laid it across the sands and placed herself and the basket on top of it so that it wouldn't blow away. Now sitting, she patted the spot next to her, inviting Amy to join in. She obeyed absentmindedly, still trying to get her mind off of what she'd just learned about her new biology.
There was a tense and awkward silence between the two of them before Gallia reached into the basket again and fished around for something. She pulled out a tiny jar with a lid sealed by cloth. The contents were a golden color and looked to be honey. Next was a small loaf of bread that, admittedly, looked pretty close to being burnt, but that mistake was forgiven when Amy saw the Oran Berries that sat comfortably at the bottom of the basket alongside three wooden saucers, a spoon, and what looked to be the wooden equivalent to a serrated knife. Gallia sat the saucers down on the blanket in front of them and began cutting at the bread, finally breaking the silence as she did so.
"You know," she began, "I've been thinking that it may be best to not wait until introducing you to the village proper before speaking of the idea I had regarding the search for answers to your situation. It may be best to-"
"Wait." Amy interrupted. "Before you go on, can I... ask you something?"
Gallia hesitated. "...Of course, Miss Amy, whatever's the matter?"
"Don't play dumb," Amy said, "you can sense emotions, so I know you can feel all this horrible stuff coming from me. So I want to ask for your help. I don't want to feel this way; can you, I dunno, make all the negative emotions go away again, but for good?"
Gallia let out a sigh, reaching into the jar of honey with the spoon and spreading it on the slices of bread she had cut.
"Miss Amy, I regret to say that I cannot do such a thing when given this scenario."
Amy opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced by another stern look from the Gardevoir.
"Please, allow me to explain myself. There is a difference between the negative emotions you were feeling when you first awoke yesterday and what I sense you're going through now. It's safe for me to suppress such things as fear, anger, and anxiety – but this is different. You're depressed, grieving over what you've lost, tormented over what could've been. If I were to suppress that, things would only grow worse as time wore on. It pains me as much as you to say this, but you're the only one capable of ending these feelings."
With that, Gallia took a bite of the honeyed bread, closing her eyes as she seemed to savor the taste. The waves gently rolled onto the small brach as Amy went over what she had just been told. It made sense, at least to an extent, but there was still one big question left hanging in the air.
"How?" Amy asked, "How do I get over this? It's my fault that I'm here right now – I was the one who screwed up while driving, I was the one who killed us. Because of me – and only me – I've ended up ruining the future I had planned for everything. Now we're stuck as stupid Pokémon in a world that I don't even want to be in! So tell me, how the hell am I supposed to come to terms with that?!"
Amy was breathing hard, her despair turning into frustration towards the end. Gallia was silent at first, chewing on another bite of the bread thoughtfully as she had vented. She swallowed the piece and turned to face Amy directly, an expression on her face that couldn't quite be put into words. "Ancient" would've been a good start, but even that didn't lend enough credit to the reverent feeling that Amy got when looking deep into the eyes of the Pokémon sitting before her
"It may not be as hard as you would expect," Gallia proclaimed, "after all, you already possess the means to becoming content once again. All you must do is to see yourself from another perspective."
"Umm... what do you mean?" Amy asked, not quite sure she was following along.
"What I mean is..." Gallia continued, reaching into the basket to pull out an Oran Berry. "You may not necessarily be looking at your predicament from the right angle, or so I believe. I cannot deny that you're in mourning for what you've supposedly lost, but have you really lost anything to begin with? Nothing has truly changed since your death as a human, barring that you can no longer see your friends and family. Nevertheless, every last one of them still lives. Can you really mourn for those who haven't actually departed? I think not, and its always important to remember that."
Gallia simply turned the Oran Berry over in her hands, inspecting it for flaws that didn't exist, before turning her gaze back towards Amy. Wordlessly, she raised her free hand and placed it on her back, running her fingers gently through Amy's fur. The sensation sent a chill up her spine and was strangely relaxing.
"But more importantly, you're alive."
Her fingers trailed down her flank before they came to a rest on Amy's swollen belly. Ever so gently, she pressed her fingers into the firm flesh, as if to try and tickle the baby Pokémon that now resided within her.
"Both of you..."
With that, Gallia withdrew her hand, much to Amy's disappointment, but she then offered the Oran Berry and some of the bread to her, which she gladly accepted. She felt that she was finally beginning to understand the kind of person – er, Pokémon – that the Gardevoir was: an optimist, moreover, one who could put her philosophies into words in such a way as to spread her outlook amongst those she desired. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, Amy felt as though her own outlook had been utterly slain by the Pokémon's conviction. It was true, wasn't it? Everything was different... yet nothing at all had changed. She continued to replay the words in her head over and over, eating her breakfast in silence while she stared at the shimmering water as it reflected the light of the morning sun, feeling just a tiny bit better about this whole situation. The calming sound of waves beating at the pristine shores went uninterrupted for quite some time before Gallia spoke once again.
"Now then, Miss Amy, I would like to discuss what I mentioned yesterday evening – about what we could do to, at the very least, begin searching for answers regarding your reincarnation into this world."
"Oh, umm, okay then." Amy replied, "I'm all ears... literally. And you don't need to keep calling me 'Miss', just Amy is fine by me. It kinda makes me feel old."
Gallia nodded. "Very well, I'll try to keep that in mind. Anyways, where should I begin? Hmm... perhaps I'll just be forward about the matter: you... can't stay here in Merri Village if you want to try and solve this mystery."
Amy cocked her head questioningly, but said nothing. Gallia took it as a sign to continue her explanation of what plan of action she'd come up with on such short notice.
"This isn't because of anything except for a lack of resources. Farther to the north – in Azurview City, to be more specific – there's a group of powerful Psychic type Pokémon who are collectively known as the Council of Creation. They often act as advisors for the royal lineage in matters that require a certain touch, so to say."
"So they're, like, stewards or something?" Amy inquired.
"In a sense," Gallia replied, "but they don't manage the affairs of His Highness, only advise. Some on the council even claim to have premonitions and visions from The Creator Himself. That's why they may be the only ones we can ask about you."
Gallia paused, letting Amy absorb everything before continuing.
"Unfortunately, Azurview City is quite far away from here. Up to a few weeks by wagon, if I'm taking everything into consideration. But as you've also been made aware, you're probably going to lay your egg within a week's time. I refuse to let you watch over an egg while on the road – the risk is far too high. Therefor, the best course of action will have to be for you to bide your time and wait."
Amy frowned, not even attempting to hide her displeasure. While Gallia did have a plan of action – which was more than she could say for herself – that was still quite a bit of waiting. Around one month of travel plus another month between laying her egg (she was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the concept) and having it hatch. That was already two months, and that wasn't even considering how long it would be before either one of them deemed her baby safe for travel. Surely there was another way. What if...
"Couldn't we just snd a letter to them explaining what's going on?"
The idea seemed viable, but the Gardevoir was already there to stop the idea from gaining any further traction.
"While that is a possible alternative," she said, "it would still take a take a week for the mail to arrive by a Flying type courier. Not to mention that the Pokémon we're sending the letter to are very busy at the best of times. Moreover, any mail that they receive is likely examined prior to delivery, and I'm certain that others learning of your status as human and possibly spreading the news is something you don't want. Realistically, traveling to the Council by foot is the best solution."
Amy felt herself sag in defeat as she took in the reality of it all. It really seemed like the waiting game was the only game to be played. For the time being, she was pretty much stuck in Merri Village as a Pokémon, but what Gallia had told her coupled with the beginnings of a plan she now had was helping to make her feel better. For the second time since she had woken up yesterday, she was starting to feel as though she could smile without forcing it. All she really had to do was wait, right?
The two of them continued to snack on the berries and bread in relative silence as the tide of the sea began to slowly recede, revealing more of the beach in the process. Amy was just beginning to relax, simply enjoying Gallia's company, when something suddenly began to really pester her. It wasn't anything as deep as a shift of perspective in life, nor was it something as dark as dealing with her emotions regarding this whole mess, but it was important all the same. And now that she was here, watching the water as it crashed gently upon the shore, she was reminded just how pressing this matter was becoming.
"Gallia..."
"Yes?"
"I have to use the bathroom, like, really bad..."
Author's Note:
And here it is ladies and gentlemen, Chapter 3 is here! It's nearly double the length of the two previous chapters, clocking in at about 9.2k words (not counting what ypu're reading now, of course), so I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to hit around 7-10k words as often as I can, but don't be surprised if that doesn't happen all the time. I think that this one came out decent enough (unless you were one of the unfortunate victims of this chapter's original version), but I also can't help feeling as though the pacing is a bit too fast. Either way, let me know your opinions about the chapter.
Review Reply:
NanobotEX - I appreciate the feedback and advice as usual, although I sorta think that my being critical of my own writing skills is a means (at least in my mind) to help me improve as I continue writing. And I promise that Gallia isn't based off of Flo – I think it's just because I made her fit into this stereotypical Gardevoir role and that some overlap appeared as a result.
Empathy - Glad you enjoyed the story so far, but once a month uploads may be a regular thing with this story. Sorry...
TheForge64 - I already answered your review, so we're good ;)
Chapter Trivia:
The whole section of the chapter involving Tiran the Rattata and Amy was written in at the last possible moment after I had suffered a minor bout of writer's block. I literally created the character and wrote out everything in the span of, like, twenty minutes.
See ya next chapter!