"Hey... Are you alive?"

A poking sensation at my neck accompanied by a voice stirred me from a peaceful sleep. The reality I remembered was off. Never have I heard someone's voice at the bottom of the ocean, with the exception of my mother. So, why I am hearing...

"Finally. Man can you sleep!" I flickered an eye open to a dark, unfamiliar scenery and yet catching sight of a familiar face. But how? I remember being home... not in a forest. The position I found myself in was an awkward one, not to mention uncomfortable. My entire body was spread out on a surface of grass, belly pointing downward and wings stretched to the sides. Not even the bottom of my feet met the ground as they were outstretched behind me, parallel to my tail and neck. I also felt a foreign object wrapped completely around my neck, but immediately dismissed the thought the second I focused a once blurry vision on the boy kneeling next to me, staring. "Tired weren't cha'?"

I went wide eyed in shock and surprise. The numbness in my legs became known the moment I tried backing away from the boy I remembered as Chris, but all I succeeded in doing was flipping completely upside down. A few of my back plates dug into the ground which stung and made me groan. Chris bursted out laughing almost immediately, apparently finding my reaction humorous. I calmed my rapid heartbeat, unmoving from my upside down view of the dark, forested environment. The sun went away and darkness came, revealing numerous tiny lights in the sky... And one large one. If that wasn't phenomenal already, then it was definitely the flickering of a faint yellow light against the surrounding trees. I learned already that a source was always present if light could be seen; the most obvious one being the sun. But light doesn't crackle and radiate heat, does it? I thought about it for a moment until all feeling in my body returned to the norm I was used to before rotating myself right-side up, finding the extraordinary source of wonder. I've never seen anything like it. Clearly it was the light source but it waved upwards with such grace that it reminded me of the water's waves, except hollow and circular, and full of many shades of red, yellow, and white. Lastly and most notably, it was the heat that intrigued me. So lights do exert heat?

Chris stared at me quizzically from my left. "What? Ever see a fire before?"

I tilted my head as I continued examining the light, which eventually stung my eyes the more I stared at it. A fire? Can anyone use a fire? Can I? The trend of questions I wanted to find the answer to only made me feel miserable and somewhat lonely. My eyes lowered to the dirt just short of the fire. I missed Vinelle. She answered and explained all the questions I thought of, even the ridiculous ones. Perhaps, beyond the darkness of the trees, I might find her swimming around in search for me. But... Was she looking for me?

"Ohhh I can't wait now!" Chris' sudden outburst made me turn to him, finding him with raised arms blankly staring into a tree, most likely in deep thought but I couldn't be sure. The second he looked at me I lowered myself in a natural reaction. I do not trust this boy and he still startles me to be honest. Every single instance I look at him, the burned memory of my capture is quickly brought forth along with that incredibly weak and powerless feeling. The mere memory reminds my body of the massive weight which caused me so much pain and suffering; it sent a slight ache down each limb that was crushed on that unfaithful day. "With you Lugia, the tournament will be a piece of cake!"

Tournament? Cake? Are these still related to fire? As much as I wanted to ask my mind out to whoever may have the answers, I couldn't find the courage to use telepathy with Chris. Vinelle once mentioned it was best to keep such an ability hidden, for my own good; this was probably one of those times. Remaining silent felt much more comforting than having a conversation with someone who forcefully captured me... But he did bring me to those two kind human females who seemed to care for my well-being.

With his grin never fading, Chris walked around the very intriguing fire and knelt down momentarily before walking back. This time, he held a bowl filled with tiny small brown cubes. I eyed it curiously but kept my distance from him as he did to me. Chris' movements gave away his lack of confidence to be within reaching distance. So instead, he lowered the bowl to the ground, pushed it forward with a foot, stepped back, and watched expectantly. The sweet aroma the bowl gave off began reminding my mind and body about food. A groan escaped my mouth as I felt a burning sensation within my stomach. When was the last time I ate? The previous day? More importantly, how long was I deceived to believe I was home?

"You going to eat or what?"

Eat? He's offering me food? That would explain the sweet smell. I took a couple steps forward, taking in a more elaborate whiff before sticking my nose into the reflective silver bowl, realizing the amount of cubes looked bigger from a distance. Hunger was now my main priority, Chris was the last as I completely ignored his presence and took the first bite of one cube. The piece turned out a little too crunchy and dry for my liking, and the plain taste didn't make up for it either. Whatever the cubes were called, I didn't like them, but my stomach took over my mind and instead of leaving them be, I quickly swallowed the first one and continued with another, then another.

Mere moments passed until most of the cubes were gone. Once I plopped the fifth last one into my mouth, I felt a hand touch the side of my neck. Not bothering to remove my head from the bowl, I found Chris from the corner of my eye as he pulled back his hand to observe my reaction. I stared at him for a while before returning my attention back on the remaining cubes, feeling his touch again immediately after doing so. I'm not sure if I allowed him to pet me because he gave me food, or because my thoughts dwelled more on hunger. Either way, I was still hungry for more, hopefully better food.

The bowl was now empty. It's contents barely satisfied my hunger. I lifted my beak from inside and looked at Chris expectantly for additional food but he didn't make any effort to move as he continued stroking my neck with a grin. Being near him was still uncomfortable for me and I made it known by moving away from him until the foreign line around my neck prevented me from going any further. I pulled again, tail pointing away from Chris and the connected tree, but the more I pulled, the more the yellow line strangled my neck and ultimately, my breathing. The line wouldn't give up, so I did and fell flat on the ground in order to regain steady breathing.

Chris shook his head at my struggles and sighed. "Now where do you think you're trying to go?"

I puffed in frustration. Away from you. I want to go find Vinelle, not be forced to stay with a person I barely know. There's nothing interesting about Chris like other people I've encountered that held my interest.

"Don't give me that look," he commented with a frown. "Remember that it was me that saved you from dying on that island. And I don't get a thank you?" As much as I wanted to prove him wrong, I couldn't. I deviated my gaze to the ground in defeat. He was right. I should be more appreciative for the fact that he did manage to free me from a life and death situation. "Yeah that's right... Get those blue eyes of yours outta' here," he said before standing up.

My mind was completely blank. I didn't know what to think anymore. Silence ensued as the fire continued crackling not far from us. A sudden pop followed by a bright light that only lasted a moment forced my curiosity toward Chris. Next to him stood a Pokémon; yet another I've never seen before.

It barked and tried jumping on Chris but he held it down and grinned. "Growlithe, I need you to keep an eye on our new friend here while I go find more firewood. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere. Got it?" The Pokémon, whose name was apparently Growlithe, barked as an answer which I couldn't understand and caught a glimpse of me. The features of Growlithe reflected that of the white Pokémon I saw on the Whirl Islands with certain exceptions; different coloured fur, size, and tail to name a few. "And I don't want anything coming near, ok buddy?" Chris asked, scratching the back of the Pokémon's ear.

Ignoring the two, I lowered to the ground and curled myself, head near my tail. Ever since Vinelle came to mind, loneliness began clouding my feelings. I... want to find her.

Growlithe barked again excitedly with its new orders before I heard it take a position near me. A plan then brewed in my mind. It wasn't until I heard the boy walk out of hearing distance did I peek from under my lifted tail, eye level to the ground. First thing I saw was Growlithe's orange and yellow fur and its four legs facing me in a sitting position. Nothing will stop me from finding the one who first introduced me to this world. I need to know if she's all right.

The sun was not here at the moment which meant visibility was cut shorter than usual, but it's nothing I couldn't handle. The important part was that Chris was gone, leaving me time to break the connection that kept me tied to the tree. I uncurled myself and stood up on my legs, startling Growlithe in the process. Perhaps that's how Growlithe got its name because the instant I moved, it started growling at me, looking ready to bring me down if needed. However, the Pokémon didn't faze me even the slightest. At least two Growlithe's are needed to keep me in place; it was smaller than I was. So I ignored it and began stepping back, pulling on the connection in hope it will break, but each pull was rewarded with more strangling around my neck. However, the struggle to retain my breathing was short when I decided to bite the connection instead, which was much more effective since it snapped in two the instant I bit down on it with sharp teeth.

Finally. Half the connection was still wrapped around the tree and the other half around my neck, but I can always find a way to get that off another time. Luckily by this time Growlithe stopped growling and continued keeping a constant watch, unaware of my plan to leave.

I looked in every direction, beyond the trees in search for the ocean but unfortunately I saw no beginnings. There wasn't any point finding out where I was because when it comes to land, I'm clueless. Where was the ocean? And how far was it? My spirits lowered as I let out a sad inward coo, lost in direction. Then sound came to mind.

Other than the crackling of the fire, rustling of leaves in the wind, and faint cries of far off Pokémon, a certain sound directed my attention one way. The sound was constant and quiet, yet loud enough that it had to be nearby. It was one that I'm familiar with.

A waterfall. Yes, there's no doubt; the faint salty scent confirms it. Without another thought, I quickly made for that direction, barely jumping by rocks and passing many trees while Growlithe barked loudly at me from behind. My heart rate rose drastically as I struggled to flee.

Partly in clumsiness, a stub sticking out from the dirt caught the spikes of my tail and roughly forced me to the ground. Using what little time I had, I tried stabilizing my breathing and glanced behind. Fortunately I didn't see Growlithe, but that didn't mean I couldn't hear the Pokémon. Rapid padding and barking alarmingly told me it was closing the distance, fast. The adrenaline rush went to my head, automatically forcing me to my feet and onward to the sound of the waterfall. The resonance became louder and louder until finally, there it was. I stopped for a quick moment, admiring the cliff which the river fell from, which wasn't high by any means but most likely still impossible for me to climb.

Growlithe's barking returned me back to reality. The persistent Pokémon reappeared the instant I glanced back from where I came, quickly closing the distance with its annoying barks. The sight made me go wide eyed before I acted quickly and dove into the river headed downstream. Feeling the water again refreshed me mentally and physically; it slightly cooled my body from the warm surface and wiped my mind free of any after-effects of sleep. I never thought I'd miss water so much until I re-entered the familiar and more comfortable element.

My moment of happiness was cut short when something landed into the water right above me before it barely punctured my wing, just short of the centre of my body. The shallow water silenced my cry as I tightly shut my eyes in reaction. Pure anger grew at every passing heartbeat. I angled my head to the side with enraged eyes and discovered it was Growlithe that bit down on my wing, struggling to retain its grip underwater. The pressure and pain of its grip was nothing compared to the event from the Whirl Islands but it was the same wing that was crushed which easily returned previous injuries with a vengeance to almost an unbearable kind of torment.

With the aid of the water's lightness underwater, I rapidly but painfully rolled and forced Growlithe into a couple large boulders which reached enough height to stick above water. Thankfully, the Pokémon released its grip after hitting its head and backside into the rocks, fazing it for a few crucial moments. What Growlithe didn't know was that I was at least twice as fast and stronger underwater than on land; I have the advantage. In great frustration, I rolled upside down, lined up my feet with Growlithe, and kicked as hard as I could, launching the Pokémon out of the river and into the trees as it yelped loudly through the air until out of sight. I felt great satisfaction taking my revenge in such a violent way, ridding the source of most pain in my wing except the massive throbbing and soreness.

In any case, I flipped right side up and continued down the shallow river with one wing I can barely move. Since my body prevented any movement in my bitten wing, mostly in the joints, it slowed my speed by half. Attempting to swim already hurt so much but I forced myself to keep going.

Eventually the river split into two routes. The only difference between the two was direction and water speed. I felt the route with the fastest current was the best way because the speed might be of assistance with my injury.

Vinelle, I need to find you... wherever you-

A red beam flashed right before my eyes, completely catching me off guard as my heart raced once more in panic. I tried looking back to see what caused it but only caught sight of a shadowy figure for an instant before it crashed into the water above me. With what little time I had, I used both wings to endeavour escaping but regretted the action when a sharp ache surged through the injured one, forcing my eyes closed in hope that the torture would stop. As a result of the attempt, I only managed to flip myself upside down pathetically before I felt a touch above my belly, followed by complete numbness across my entire body.

I quickly flashed my eyes open in my rapid breathing and found myself... home. The fake home; an entire void of underwater darkness and currents. No... No. No, no, no! I shouldn't be here... I CAN'T be here! Tears escaped my eyes that seemed to sparkle away with the currents; tears of anger, hurt, and frustration. Enraged, I tensed the muscles in my wings so hard that I forgot the cries of my injured wing telling me to stop.

And with one final effort, I let out a lengthy roar of my own, emotion filled with such negativity within the sound.