Chapter Three

A sandshrew prodded at the door gently with its sharp, white claw. Behind it, a mature couple were putting on their coats and preparing to take their mouse pokémon out for a midnight stroll. Knowing how much the pokémon enjoyed the sand, the couple, around the age of fifty, had decided to treat it to a night escapade beside the sea.

"Ho, ho, look at Asmar," chuckled the man, his face scrunching up to reveal wrinkles.

"It always did enjoy its walks," replied the woman, smiling. She doused the fire, silently crackling away in the fireplace, with a bucket of water and watched as the ghostly fumes rose up the flue and escaped into the open air.

Asmar's ears perked at the sound of its name. It hobbled over to the woman and looked up at her, following her every movement. She patted its head twice before walking over to her husband and handing him a black scarf. She wrapped a white one around her own neck and put on her shoes, the man following suit.

As soon as they were fully dressed, they opened the door and were enveloped by the cool, sea breeze. The difference in temperature compared to indoors was evident, and the couple were glad that they had dressed themselves appropriately. Asmar bolted outside on all fours in anticipation. Excited, it began to run around aimlessly in the tall, dry grass. It glanced frequently over at its owners who were walking on the stone path leading towards the beach, the small cabin built from maple wood gradually shrinking into the distance as they progressed. Sandshrew followed them, an eager aura emitting from it as its eyes sparkled in the brume. In the distance stood a tall lighthouse which brightened the shore, causing the mist to brighten up and form silhouettes of objects located on the beach. The light was said to be the bright glow of a magmar's skin.

At the bottom of the rocky cliff lay the sand and the sea. The waves were giant, white sheets on a dark, blue mattress. The cliff, acting as a durable headboard, was pummelled constantly by its force, causing erosion to occur over time. Below, emerging from the dark water, were giant, sharp rocks that posed as a threat to any ships in the area. Built on top of that cliff was their house. Although technically part of the small town Vicinia, it was far enough away to have deemed it a rural residence. The couple referred to the area as their "little piece of paradise", for the lack of ships, the heavenly sea breeze, and the exclusiveness in general enticed them so.

Happily digging holes in the sand was Asmar. The ground pokémon was enjoying itself thoroughly, tossing sand in the air and chasing the tide. The pokémon appeared to be amusing itself greatly with the tide; as it came in, it would jump away quickly. It continuously giggled to itself, as if mocking the sea for being incapable of trapping him in its aquatic grasp.

The woman smiled gently and tightened her grasp on the man's hand. She looked at him and lay her head on his shoulder, the man releasing his hand from her grip as to wrap it around her waist and pull her closer. With every breath, a white puff of vapour escaped their mouths and joined the mist hanging in the autumn air.

The sound of the waves was melodious, and at that moment, the woman felt like she was in a dream. She glanced up at the man and admired his attractive details; his greyed, blonde hair extending down his back and tied in place with a long piece of grass, his stern, facial expression that allowed people around him to know he was thinking hard about something, and, of course, his jade eyes which had softened over the years were just some of his visible features. Her husband, Murrey, was raised to be a proud, hard-working man, and his behaviour and comportment definitely reflected it. Even now, in the presence of no one but his wife, he held his head high.

Her eyes trailed over to where Asmar was examining a stone. It promptly threw it away, chattering to itself in disdain. As another wave crashed against the sand, its ears perked up, and it scampered away into the thick fog.

"Asmar!" The woman lifted her head from Murrey's shoulder and stalled. She looked up at her husband who was frowning.

"I wonder what that little guy is doing.." he thought to himself, his hand beneath his chin as he watched curiously.

With a worried expression on her face, his wife stated impatiently, "Come on, Murrey. We need to go find him; it's dangerous in the fog."

The man nodded and took his wife's hand before beginning to walk deeper into the blinding fog. With damp clothes and concerned hearts, the couple searched for their precious ground pokémon frantically, calling its name often and waiting for a response. Nothing. The sandshrew's chattering never reached their ears.

"Oh, Murrey, what if in this fog, it got dragged into the sea and we can't hear it?" she wailed, imagining the ground pokémon suffering as it drowned beneath the unforgiving waves of the sea.

"Now, now, Ella," said Murrey gently, grasping her hand tighter. "I'm sure Asmar is fine. He probably just smelled something of interest and decided to investigate."

"But what if it injured itself?"

"I'm sure it's just fine, dear; after all, there's no one else out here and..."

Murrey's voice trailed off as he stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Ella looked at him, confused. "We don't have-"

"Shh!"

Startled, the woman dropped her gaze and looked around. Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, she looked back at her husband, whose facial expression had changed from grim to relief.

"Is something the matter?" She asked hastily, obviously puzzled.

There was a pause before Murrey said quietly, "Do you hear that?"

The woman stopped for a moment and then looked in front of her. She began to concentrate, focusing her hearing on any remote sound that emitted from the darkness. Her eyes gleamed and her frown turned into a smile as the sound of chattering reached her ears. The two rushed forward and slowly, the silhouette belonging to their beloved sandshrew created an opaque image against the fog. It looked up at its owners rushing towards it and continued to chatter.

The woman, finally reaching her pokémon, bent down and picked it up. Holding it in front of her, she exclaimed in joy, "Asmar, you rascal! Mommy was worried about you!" The pokémon stared at its female owner. Ella wrapped the pokémon in her arms and turned to her husband. "I suppose it's time we returned home," she said, turning her body to the direction of which they came.

Suddenly, the sanshrew began to struggle violently in her arms and then curled itself into a round ball, escaping her grasp and falling to the sand. It rushed in front of its male trainer and chattered at him, pointing its claw into the fog. The woman tried again to pick up the pokémon, but it jumped ahead relentlessly, as to escape her grasp. Unhappily, Murrey's wife glanced at her husband, and then at where Asmar was pointing. The brown, stubborn critter grabbed the man's leg with its paw and motioned it to advance.

Understanding the gesture, the couple advanced forward cautiously, unsure of what their curious pokémon was trying to show them. As they progressed a bit further into the fog, another silhouette was brought to their attention. The couple looked at each other and then back to the silhouette, whose identity quickly became recognizable as they approached.

It was a poochyena.

Ella rushed forward and knelt down beside it. She checked for respiration and any injuries that the small, dark pokémon might have sustained before confirming, "Why, the poor thing is half-drowned!"

Murrey looked down at Asmar who seemed to have relaxed, now that the pokémon had been found. "So this is what you wanted to show us..." he murmured, proud of his pokémon's courage and compassion. He scooped the sandshrew up in his arms and scratched its head. The pokémon seemed pleased with the attention.

His wife picked up the dark pokémon and held it close. Noticing its low body temperature, she quickly began rubbing the poochyena all over, as to reactive the body's vascular flow. Murrey positioned himself beside her, the sandshrew looking down on the wet puffball its owner held with concern.

"We'll have to take it back with us; the poor thing is cold to the bone," the woman said to her husband while continuing to rub the poochyena down with her hands. "If we don't, it'll surely die."

Her husband nodded, understanding the situation at hand. The sandshrew's ears suddenly perked up again and it shifted its view towards the beach. Chattering, it began to squirm in Murrey's soft, cold hands. He, too, adjusted his view to where the pokémon was looking, then frowned.

Hesitantly, he said, "Something else is there."

The woman looked up. Although nothing could be see in the fog, the sound of footsteps in the wet sand was audible. The couple waited a few minutes, watching for something to emerge from the mist, but nothing came. They looked at each other.

"Do you think it's gone?" the woman asked her husband nervously.

"It seems like it," was his reply, although it was apparent that even he was unsure.

Their sandshrew was not convinced, though. It kept chattering to itself and squirming in its owner's arms. It looked up at Murrey in wonder, its big eyes demanding that it be believed.

Murrey stroked Asmar slowly and set him down. "I'll go see what's there," he told his wife in a brave tone of voice. "Stay here, all right?"

His wife was startled, but she submitted. "Be careful."

He kissed his wife on the lips before turning around and leaving her and the two pokémon stranded in the cold fog. His form faded gradually from sight. Ella, looking around in fear of the dark, waited patiently for her husband's return. Petting the black pokémon in her arms, she stared fiercely at the fog before her. Asmar stood beside its female trainer and watched as well, although its stare was not as intense. The poochyena in her arms, as motionless as ever, coughed at one point, but its eyes stayed firmly shut.

A few minutes later, Murrey returned. Ella raced forward at a pace that wouldn't disturb the sleeping poochyena in her arms, their bipedal sandshrew following her. "Oh, Murrey!" she cried in delight. "I'm glad that didn't take too lon-"

Ella cut her own sentence short at the sight before her. She stopped. As Murrey approached closer, she noticed another figure was with him. A brief examination from the distance proved that the figure was a young man with his arms around the neck of her grunting husband. Murrey was bent over, as to support the extra weight of the stranger, and his face showed a stressed expression as he barely managed to carry him on his back.

"Is he..."

"He's alive." Murrey finished her sentence through hard breaths. "I think he was involved in a wreck nearby; it wouldn't be the first time a survivor wound up on the beach." He stopped for a moment, breathing heavily. "Ella, can you do me a favour? Take that sword and sheath from his back. It's adding unnecessary extra weight."

Ella nodded and took the sword from the stranger's back. She held it carefully in her hands. Murrey grunted again and continued in the direction of their home. His wife followed suit.

For a man in his fifties, Murrey was muscular, mostly due to participating in tough activities such as chopping down trees and building houses, forming foundations, and lifting tall, cut tree trunks. The carpenter of Vicinia, Murrey was still strong for his age, although carrying a full-grown man to the house from the beach would be no easy task, even for him.

His wife, a farmer of minor sorts, followed behind him with a hastened pace. Their sandshrew ran ahead of them eagerly. The stranger and Murrey, both damp for different reasons, proceeded with care, for the water on their skins caused the young man to slip if the veteran moved at certain angles. The woman helped level her husband with one hand while keeping the poochyena in a firm grip in the other.

After approximately ten minutes of walking, their house reappeared on top of the cliff; Murrey grinned at the sight of it. They were almost there.

When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was the throbbing migraine I had; the second thing I noticed was that I was lying on a comfortable couch, and I was warm and dry. Puzzled, I sat up and looked around me in a daze. In the corner, a few candles flickered on top of an old table. The wood floors and walls created a cozy room with a lovely decor. On the floor was a carpet made from long grass dyed red; positioned neatly upon it was a low table, seemingly made from maple wood as well. Directly across from the couch was another chair of a similar brown colour. Above, hanging on the wall, was a painting of an orchard that was appropriately framed. Two glassless windows allowed light to penetrate into the room. Not far from the couch, an old door was closed. Where it led to, I wasn't sure. To the right of the couch were farming tools of all sorts – rakes, shovels, hoes – leaning against the wall. Seeds were bunched up in brown bags that could have possibly been the bladders of a pokémon.

I rubbed my head and looked at my hands, then my clothes. Someone had changed them; no longer did I wear the dull uniform of the Espion. Instead, I was clothed in dark blue overalls and a rather large, white shirt that contrasted well with my hair. My shoes had been removed and were nowhere to be found. As I moved around a bit more, an embarrassing matter came to my attention, for someone had changed my underwear as well.

Where am I? I glanced around and stood up, the heavy covers falling to the ground. I placed it neatly back on the couch and readjusted the pillow seemingly made from quality farfetch'd feathers. I held my head, trying to soothe the intense throbbing. What the heck happened to me? Where am I? I felt like my eyes were gushing blood from my skull. I squinted my eyes and suppressed the pain before inevitably sitting back down. My balance was altered; standing up had never been so difficult.

How did I get here?

The scent of food overwhelmed me and I tried not to drool. I followed it cautiously, still wary of my environment, and silently, I opened the door that lead to the kitchen. My eyes still a bit hazy, I managed to make out some details of the room immediately. As with the house itself, the counters were made of wood as well as the cupboards suspended above them. The counter was decorated with candles and fresh flowers in vases, as well as glass containers containing various spices. On the corners of the cupboard doors was the design of a butterfree and a weedle; they were coloured delicately with what appeared to be berry juice. To the right of the counter was the fireplace. Its warm, welcoming glow brought a charming ambiance to the small room as it heated the contents of an iron pot inside its wake. In the middle of the room was a wood table where an elderly man was seated. He, too, was dressed in overalls, only his were black and not blue like mine. His grey shirt was ripped in several places to expose his tanned arms and chest. Long, platinum-hair cascaded his back, while tied neatly in a ponytail. On his face, small hairs of the same colour enjoyed their time on the surface. Worn, brown boots collided with the bottom of his overalls as they covered his feet. From his proportions, it appeared he was rather tall. I estimated him to be around 5'8", or approximately an inch taller than myself. His legs were crossed as he chewed on a long piece of grass and read a small book.

A woman around the same age took a few more pieces of bark from a pile beneath the counter and tossed it into the fire. I observed as the light of the fire caused her brown eyes to light up and frizzed her short, brown hair. Her white skin was covered in freckles from head to toe, although it was most obvious on her face and her arms. She wore a simple, brown dress with a white apron, decorated with the design of different types of berries and apricorns, tied around her waist. The woman wore simple, brown clogs on her feet while on her head she wore a white bandana with several, cute frills. I watched as she began cutting up some fresh carrots that she had washed in a bucket of water. She then gently tossed them into the pot which accepted it gratefully.

The door across the room opened. In marched a peculiar pokémon that resembled a mouse, only with hard, sand-coloured skin and a short, thick tail. Noticing a bowl of food placed for it on the ground, it seemed content and walked towards it, picked a chunk of it up, and consumed it. It happily chattered and beckoned at the door, waving a piece of food in front of it. Carefully, a black pokémon walked into the house and glanced around. The woman chuckled as the pokémon hesitantly took the piece of food from the other being.

"Khail."

My voice was soft, but Khail's acute hearing picked it up. Its ears perked as it glanced over towards me. Shoving the rest of the food into its mouth, the poochyena darted across the room, catching the older man's attention. Khail jumped into my open arms with glee and immediately began to nuzzle beneath my chin. I hugged it tightly, my mind soothed at the sight of it.

"Well, it seems you're fine." The man seemed apathetic, but his face was soft. "I was concerned; for a while there, I was convinced the sea had taken another life."

I looked up at him, and then at the woman who was also looking my way. She hurried over to me and took my arm. "No need to be shy!" she told me happily, taking my arm. "Come, come! I was just about finished making lunch."

Gently, she pulled me across the room and seated me in a chair. She then turned back to her counter and reached into the cupboards to retrieve three wooden bowls. As she was dividing the stew into the three bowls, I couldn't help feel alienated and uncomfortable. Neither the man, the woman, or their pokémon were paying me direct attention, but the awkwardness of the situation made me shake a bit. I glanced at the pokémon nearby who was stuffing its face with the provided pokéfood. I watched it closely, relatively intrigued at this specimen that I had never seen before. As it finished, it looked up at me. At first, I thought it wanted to play with Khail, but then I realized it was just interested in the bowl of stew that the woman had placed on the table beside me. After all bowls were correctly placed on the table, the woman seated herself beside the man and lifted the bowl to her mouth with her wrinkled hands. The man placed his book on his lap before taking his bowl into his hands and drinking its contents. I watched them, trying no to stare. Khail put its paws on the table and began to sniff the stew, obviously enjoying its smell. Quickly, but gently, I removed its paws from the table, as not to be disrespectful.

"Do you not like stew?"

I looked up at the woman and stammered, "I.. I do like stew, yes."

The man scoffed. "Leave the lad alone, Ella; he's probably traumatized enough as it is, having almost drowned and all." He took another gulp of his stew as his wife replied.

"I'm just concerned, Murrey. He hasn't eaten in three days."

"I'm sure he'll eat when you leave him alone," came the gruff response. The man stood up and cleaned his mouth off with a cloth from on the counter. He placed his bowl in a lowered compartment of the counter that was filled with water.

His wife frowned, and by doing so, she revealed wrinkles around her mouth and beneath her eyes. "Are you going back out already?" she asked, setting her bowl on the table.

"I still need some materials to build that house in Vicinia."

Vicinia?

"But you've only just ate! You should relax a bit."

The man shook his head. "I'll be back before sundown, Ella. For now, tend to the lad; you're better at talking with people than I am." With that, he opened the door and shut it briskly, the ground pokémon scampering out after him and almost getting crushed between the door and its frame.

The woman sighed and drank the rest of her stew. She then put her bowl in the sink and took a red cloth from a drawer in the cupboard. As she had her back turned towards me, I picked the bowl of stew up and examined it. The dark brown liquid was filled with vegetables, but no meat. Even then, it looked absolutely delicious, and my growling stomach urged me to eat it contrary to my awkward sentiments. Regardless, my stomach won, and I hastily consumed the stew while being careful not to spill it.

"My, my, I knew you were hungry." The woman was looking at me now with a smile on her face. She set the two bowls back into the cupboard, fully clean and ready for reuse. I looked at her, my mouth still on the bowl, and hesitantly set it on the table. I was handed a cloth to wipe my mouth with, and I did so promptly before returning it to her.

Khail looked up at me and began to nuzzle me again. Ella took my bowl and placed it in the sink to be washed later. After seating herself again, she looked at me with dancing eyes.

"So, boy, tell me! What's your name?"

I looked at her, startled by the sudden question. "Uh," I began, before stating, "Shin."

The woman seemed rather pleased. "Well, Shin! You're quite lucky to be alive." She leaned closer to me, her elbows planted on the table. "If we hadn't gone for that midnight walk the other day, you and your little wolf pup there would have surely died. What were you doing out there?"

I thought about what to say for a moment. I can't mention the Espion to this kind, old woman; she would have a heart attack. Then I realized she most likely already knew, for one of them had changed my clothing, of which the shirt has the infamous symbol of the Espion stitched into its back. The sword they had removed also had the infamous kecleon painted on the hilt.

I inhaled deeply. "I got lost," I started to explain; the woman sat back and listened attentively. "I was in a rowboat escaping from the Espion, but their leader... She came after me."

The woman nodded. "I saw the uniform; I personally haven't had any experiences with them, but I've heard stories." She chuckled. "You don't seem very much like an Espion member, though. Just look at how much your pokémon adores you."

I looked down at my poochyena and smiled, before returned my gaze to the woman. "Well, Khail here has been my friend and ally for the past five years. I've always treated him well." I smiled, and then continued hastily. "I never killed anybody, though. I hope you believe me."

"I do," she told me firmly. "You don't look like the kind of person who would murder others. You actually remind me of my son when he was a lad." My eyes widened a bit. The woman smiled warmly at me. "I'm glad you two are all right, though. Like I said earlier, you were really worrying me for a while."

I blinked. The last time someone had said that to me, it was ten years ago when I had fallen ill. My mother had paid special attention to me that entire week, giving me extra blankets and making her esteemed farfetch'd soup. The flavour had been so rich that at the time, I hoped not to recover quickly, as to be able to eat it as often as I was.

Khail yawned, which made both Ella and I smile.

Murrey's wife tilted her head sideways. "So, tell me, Shin. What are you planning to do? Do you have family you can return to?"

I bit my lip. I guessed that my face, once portraying contentedness, had suddenly changed to a grieving expression, for Ella quickly suggested:

"If you've nowhere to go, we could sure use you here."

My eyes lit up at this opportunity. She continued.

"My husband is becoming old; he needs a strapping young lad to help him with his work. He's a carpenter, you see? Recently, our scyther passed away, and his work has become twice as hard. It's not much, but if you decide to stay here with us, we'll allow you to sleep in the living room. Your pokémon can stay, too, of course, and we'll feed you and clothe you during your stay."

I didn't want to sound too eager, but as I thought about it, the entire offer was too heavenly to pass up. I realized that carpentry wouldn't be easy; I was willing to learn, though, and after all those years of pillaging, I had built a decent muscle mass within my body anyway. I studied the woman, searching for any deception that may be hidden within her gestures and facial expression, but I found none.

I smiled broadly, and replied, "If it's not too much of a bother, I'd love to." I tried to suppress the joy and excitement that had arisen inside of me.

"Good, good." She seemed pleased, and then added, "Stay here. I'll come back in a minute."

The woman rose to her feet and left the room. As instructed, I waited for her to come back. A few moments later, she returned carrying a pair of brown boots and an axe.

"Put these on," she told me in a firm voice, "and go outside and help Murrey chop wood."

She handed me the boots and the axe; at first, I hesitated, but her gaze made me rush into compliance. I set the axe on the table, put the brown boots on my feet and fastened the grey buckle to a comfortable tightness. Placing the black pokémon on the ground, I rose to my feet and took hold of the axe, its wood handle uneven and threatening to give me splinters. I looked back at the woman before opening the door and stepping outside, my poochyena loyally following. As I gazed out into the afternoon horizon, taking in every detail of this rural, charming land, only one thought came to mind.

I'm home.