Welcome, to the world of Pokémon.
…Or rather, what once was. Times have changed, and your journey will be far more difficult than those of the heroes who have come before. Do you wish to continue?
"…Yes."
Very well. Before we begin, I have a few questions for you; in order to build your vessel for this world. Speak from the soul and answer truthfully. Are you ready?
Well, let us commence.
Do you find yourself to be non-confrontational?
"…"
Do not hesitate, speak only the truth that comes to mind.
"No. To the question, that is."
Interesting. Do you find yourself hesitating because you are afraid of what I may think?
"Yes."
At least you are truthful. Your soul is laid bare before me so unless you avoid the truth, there is no need for fear. My purpose is not to pass judgment unto you.
If you were to confront someone, is it more likely to be for justice and fighting for what you believe is right? Or do you find yourself as being a bit hot headed, and maybe you might confront someone who injured your pride or mocked you?
"Both equally, I think."
Interesting.
Have you ever hurt somebody close to you?
"I've never attacked or hit anyone, no."
Physical pain is not the only type there is.
"…Then yes."
Do you regret it?
"Yes."
Do you consider aggression, hot-headedness, and occasionally acting irrationally as flaws of your being?
"Yikes, no need to say it so bluntly… but yes."
The truth can hurt, but there cannot be light without darkness, nor can there be darkness without light. They are two sides of the same coin, as they are two sides of you.
Have you ever sacrificed something for someone else, or put yourself in harm's way for another?
"Yes."
If given a task, will you see it through until it is completed?
"Yes."
I see.
I believe I have what I need.
You are strong, loyal, and fierce. Your soul burns as bright as any flame. But I can see darkness within you. Those flames can and have hurt. However, if you use that darkness to make yourself stronger, I believe you may be a powerful force to help return this world to the state it once was.
Your vessel will be strong, for the world will be harsh and cold to you. But as long as you hold fast to that fire, you will be triumphant.
Our time is drawing to a close, you have almost finished crossing over. I believe we may meet again, in another time and place.
Your vessel
shall
be
a
.
.
.
The Haunted Woods. Once considered a dangerous mystery dungeon in years past, the primal life it then possessed had long since ebbed away. What power it still held within the grip of its gnarled branches allowed it to fight to keep its lush emerald foliage despite the changing seasons. Although it no longer continuously warped itself into living labyrinth, its untamed undergrowth and hungry beasts prowling within often deterred travelling pokémon from intruding upon it. The only sounds heard within were the soft whispers of leaves on the breeze and the occasional chitter from a wild pokémon.
Except for one night, when the thundering of paws upon the soft earth and the sharp snap of branches sent various bug pokémon scuttling for cover. A bird pokémon up among the branches squawked and flapped its wings at the disturbance, but Sirius barely heard it over the roar of blood pounding in his ears as he ran. His lungs burned from the frigid air forced into them, screaming for him to stop. Wayward branches clawed at his once lustrous silver coat, with each new scratch causing him to grit his teeth and his gait to falter. And yet he kept running, lest the large persian on his tail or his own doubt catch up to him.
Sirius' smaller size and head start had allowed him to keep ahead of the persian as he wove his way through the woods. However, the larger pokémon was adept at chasing prey through the undergrowth, with each nimble leap and swerve of wayward branches closing the distance between the two. Another stumble resulted in the snarls of the persian reaching his ears as the gap closed.
"Sirius! This is your final warning!" Persian's roar thundered through the air and sent Sirius' fur bristling as a wave of fear rippled through him. The larger pokémon was right on his heels now, hot air piercing the cold and breathing down his neck. He could feel the blazing red eyes on his back, any traces of friendship that may have been there now burned away from the fires fuelled by determination to catch the fleeing eevee.
Were his efforts in vain? As the persian's thundering paws grew louder, so too did Sirius' determination begin to crumble. It was impossible, his smaller size was outmatched by the persian's raw speed.
Sirius felt an acidic taste well up in his mouth, one he knew well. Whether it was a deliberate action fuelled by adrenaline or an unconscious will to keep fighting, Sirius did not know. The deep purple toxin bubbled up under his tongue, splattering out and sizzling in the air behind him as he panted. His options and the distance between him and the persian were getting increasingly limited.
"I… have no choice. Sorry, Leo." Sirius silently apologized.
EEVEE used TOXIC!
PERSIAN was badly poisoned!
In the fraction of a moment Sirius dug his paws into the loamy earth, spinning around and using the momentum to spit the thick, toxic acid at his pursuer. Leo the persian squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head in a vain attempt to avoid the surprise attack. The persian let out a pained hiss as the acidic toxin made contact, burning away the dark fur on his cheek and eating into the skin. Sirius felt a twinge of guilt in his gut as he scurried into the bush, leaving Leo to frantically paw at the injury.
The change in the woods was drastic the more Sirius ran. Branches closed in around him, reaching out with gnarled fingers that scraped at his fur and pulled at the prismatic scarf tied around his neck. The wooden walls creeped in around him the further he went, funnelling him along to a destination unknown. The canopy shifted from a vibrant green to a deep blue that blanketed the forest floor in shadow. The Haunted Woods was a dead mystery dungeon, he had been told. And yet, it felt as if the blue-leafed tress were alive; that some essence of life still burned within the soil as the branches appeared to shift and dance around him. Branches closed in behind him as he moved, effectively blocking any possibility him being followed. Or going back the way he came. Sirius squinted against the darkness in an attempt to discern what lay ahead. Was the forest protecting him somehow? Or was this a trap and he was the rattata walking right into the luxray's jaws?
Up ahead, a sliver of moonlight sliced through the darkness. Sirius picked up the pace, urging his burning muscles to carry him just the little bit further. The woods around him slunk back as they opened up to release the eevee into the brisk night air.
The clearing was serene, Sirius thought. Pretty, even. The soft grass cushioned his aching paws, a welcome feeling compared to the harsh undergrowth of the woods. Up above, the moon shone brilliantly among the stars, unhindered by the few clouds that drifted across the sky.
"It's so quiet and calm here," Sirius thought to himself as his panting slowed. His body screamed for him to lay down upon the bed of grass, yet he resisted its cries.
"So tired but… I can't rest here… not now. Just a little bit longer until the ocean… I hope. I'm sure I can just quickly recover…"
A soothing warmth enveloped his paw as a gentle golden light surrounded it. The energy within him flowed out into golden ribbons that wrapped around his body, relieving his weariness and soothing his wounds. Sirius sighed in relief as the healing move took effect.
EEVEE used WISH!
Meanwhile, shrouded in the darkness of the night sky, a staraptor soared over the woods. Keen eyes meticulously scanned between the gently swaying trees for signs of his prey. No signs thus far, the only movement down below being that of wild hoohoots hopping among branches.
It was faint, but a glint of gold flickered at the corner of his vision. The staraptor's eyes narrowed as he shifted his weight on the wind, deftly circling around to home in on the spark. In a break in the trees was his target foolishly using Wish and broadcasting his location to the aerial pursuer. A smug grin graced the staraptor's beak as he silently glided over the clearing, mentally calculating the optimal angle at which to dive down and attack.
He was so fixated on the eevee below him that he did not notice a light begin to glow in the sky behind him. Brighter and brighter it flared up. Barely within a second, it was as if the midday sun had arisen in the dead of the night. Staraptor turned his head-
And the sky exploded.
Space itself instantaneously ripped apart in a fiery inferno that sent the treetops bowing under the immense shockwave. The bird pokémon squawked in terror as he beat his wings to narrowly avoid singed feathers.
Across the many miles that spanned between the ocean and the frozen mountains, pokémon turned their heads as the sky ignited above the woodlands.
A lonesome duskull floating over a sandy beach turned its skull towards the flare. The rigid skull displayed no emotion, yet a surge of dread churned beneath.
Atop an icy mountain sat a weavile. It narrowed its eyes at the beacon of light, noting its peculiarity. Its face remained as frozen as the air around it as it silently watched on.
It must have been a miracle that he was still alive, Sirius thought. The sudden shock of the blast left him frozen in place, only just able to shield his eyes from the nova. Warm air rushed through his fur and roared in his ears as he gritted his teeth and hunched over against the onslaught. The scent of smoke invaded his nose, and he coughed and spluttered against the sudden onslaught. Eventually, the air settled and the light behind his eyelids faded, slowly blinked them open.
Small embers rained from the sky like raindrops, re-joining their brethren in a ball of fire that flickered in the centre of the clearing. The blaze was a deep red, unlike anything that Sirius had ever seen. It danced and shifted, tongues of flame licking at the air and folding in upon themselves yet never seeming to spread. Within the heart of the flame was a void. Black as the emptiness of space, it pulsed and quivered as a heart would. As if it were alive.
And alive it was, for Sirius yelped in surprise as a pair of piercing red eyes within the void snapped open.
And when you yelp at the void, the void yelps back.
"Woah! Is that… a pokémon?"
A startled cry rang out across the clearing as the creature's long limbs thrashed about, eyes wide in alarm. "F-fire!?" She cried out, scrambling to escape the cocoon of fire. Sirius watched on in terror, then shock, then curiosity, and then finally pity as the pokémon tripped over their own feet with all the grace of a newborn deerling.
The strange Pokémon was completely alien to Sirius, with a striking juxtaposition between their intimidating form and awkward, confused movements. She reminded him of a mightyena or boltund, but taller and lankier with a distinctly long muzzle. The large, gnarled horns and bone-like growths contrasted against the short, charcoal and cream coloured coat. The deerling comparison returned to him as the pokémon, now clear of the fire, sat awkwardly upon the singed grass, as if unsure of how to position her legs.
"A… fire type?" Sirius mused, noting at how the stranger seemed physically unaffected by the fire. A wave of pity hit him as the pokémon looked frantically looked around, eyes wide and tongue lolling out as she panted heavily. His ears lowered as he tentatively stepped towards the pokémon. "Poor thing… They seem disorientated. I should at the very least offer some help."
He hissed and recoiled as his paw made contact with a stray ember. Well, that confirmed that the stranger was a fire type, or at least had some form of ability unknown to him.
The question of why a fire type was alive and here would have to be addressed later. At the sound, the pokémon looked up at him; expression unreadable. Sirius stepped forward, now directly face-to-face with the stranger. Even when sitting and hunched over, they were still taller than him. The curved horns also seemed much more dangerous up close, and Sirius gulped. Regardless, he put on his most amicable smile and pointed his ears forward in a sign of friendship.
"Uh… hello there," he greeted. "I've never seen a pokémon like you before. Are you okay? Are you hurt? That sure was…" He paused, searching for the right word but failing. "…Something."
The stranger stared blankly at him, as if she hadn't heard him. Then suddenly, as if struck by an unseen force, she recoiled back onto their haunches, paw extended as if to keep Sirius away.
"A TALKING DOG!?"
Sirius was stunned, completely frozen in place and attempting to process what was happening as the stranger freaked out in front of him, forelegs swiping at the air.
"W-what do you want? Did you set me on fire? Where am I? What are you? Are you going to eat me? I'll make you regret it if you do!" The questions shot out of the stranger's mouth like a Bullet Seed from an ivysaur.
All Sirius could do was watch on with a morbid curiosity as the large, horned possible-fire-type… thought he was going to eat her? Did she really not know his species? Sure, his silver fur was unlike that of most eevees… But it wasn't just his species; the fact that he was even talking at all seemed to alarm the stranger. All pokémon could communicate in some way or another, after all.
A feeling of déjà vu nagged at the back of his mind. The situation seemed… familiar, as if he had lived it before. A memory that dwelled in the deep recesses of his mind, familiar and warm. And then it hit him.
His mother would often tell him stories when he was a pup, his favourite of which involved heroic teams standing up against titans and saving the world from calamity. Although there were several, one common thread tied them together. They all began with an ordinary pokémon (always an eevee when his mother told the story) coming upon another, who claimed to be a strange creature called a "human" that was transformed into a pokémon to save the world. However, at some point the humans, strange formless creatures that travelled across time and space, no longer appeared to save the world. Growing up, Sirius' peers mocked him for believing in such childishly hopeful tales. But all legends sprout from somewhere.
"You… are you a… human…?" Sirius asked, the words leaving his mouth without thinking.
The stranger stopped, tilting her head as if the answer was obvious. "Huh? Well yeah, of course I-" The sentence was cut short by the stranger noticing her own paws in front of her face; a sight that left her stunned and stammering.
Sirius' brows knitted together in thought. "Definitely a human…" he muttered to himself "It is possible after all..."
The sound of sharp, quick inhales caused him to snap his head up. The stranger was violently trembling and stuttering over incomprehensible words as she turned her paws over, ears pinned flat against her skull and the sight of her own appendages rendering her speechless. Sirius' instincts kicked into gear, his paw faintly glowing gold in preparation to use Wish to soothe the stranger if needed.
"Woah woah, hey, it's okay. I can help you." His voice took on a professional yet gentle tone, the kind he used when on healing duty. "I don't know what kind of pokémon you are, but can you tell me your name at least?" Sirius felt extremely awkward asking, like he was crossing an invisible banner of politeness and his mother was about to pop out of the woods to scold him. But if neither of them knew what species the stranger was, surely there was no harm in it?
But just as before the pokémon didn't seem to hear him, her eyes unfocused. A pang of worry shot through Sirius, and he lifted his paw up as if to reach out, but hesitated. "Woah, are you okay?"
Hello?
Can you hear me?
.
.
.
The words were mere noise in her ears, drowned out by the sharp ringing that pierced her brain. Her entire body felt empty and heavy, black spots dancing in front of her vision.
This was wrong. This all felt wrong.
But why?
What is a pokémon? What is a human? A human is me. I am human. But who? Who am I? Why? How did I get here? I don't remember. I don't know. Who am I? Why? Why? Who? What?
howdidigetherewhoamiwhyamiherehowwhatwhywherewho
Around and around her thoughts circled. She tried to grasp at something, anything, but it was all smoke between her grasp. Trying to remember anything just resulted in an abyss of nothing but static.
But out of that void, a single name fell out.
.
.
.
"Hey! What's wrong?"
The world snapped back into focus, and her head looked up at the strange creature anxiously calling to her.
"Gosh, are you okay? You looked like you were going to faint!" He spoke frantically as he held his paw out, unsure of how to help.
Resigned to the situation, her voice was soft as she replied, glancing up at him as her head drooped. "I'm fine." She lied. "My name is… Mila…" At least that was true. "And I just… that's all I can remember." She barely managed to succeed in keeping her voice from shaking.
Sirius was quiet for a moment, as he mulled over Mila's words. Being alone in a strange, hostile world was something he could relate to. He quickly glanced around the clearing, yet there was no sign of his pursuer, for now. Leaving Mila here, with the possibility of them finding her…
The possibility of them discovering that she is, or was, human… He couldn't fathom what would happen to her.
"Well Mila, I know this must all be strange, and that you're scared-"
"I'm not scared." She interjected perhaps a bit too quickly.
Sirius hesitated before continuing. "Ah, right. Well uh… either way, I'm sure this must be confusing. It's not a good idea to sit around here so… would you like to tag along with me?"
Mila gaped in surprise. "Huh? Why? Where to? Is this a trick?" She squinted at him, eyeing him up for any suspicious motions.
"Not a lot of pokémon around here are… nice." Well, that was one way to put it. "And that fire will probably draw someone's attention. There's an ocean near here, with some pokémon I'm looking for. They'll probably know something about you… maybe. And hey, I can try answer any uh… questions you may have along the way." Sirius explained.
Mila was silent for a brief second, before baring her teeth at him. Sirius stiffened, but Mila's calm voice held no sign of hostility. Was that meant to be… a smile? "You know what? Sure." She replied with a…grin?
Sirius relaxed, his tail wagging slightly. "Oh! Really?" He couldn't help but feel a tad relieved at the prospect of not having to make the rest of his journey alone.
Mila rose to her feet and… "wow, she's tall." Sirius marvelled, suddenly feeling self-conscious about his own height.
"Yeah. Honestly, I have no idea what's going on. But no point in me sitting around and whining about it, y'know." Mila looked up at the sky, her words aiming to steel herself up.
"Okay then, great! Let's head off then!" Sirius said cheerfully. "We should head uhh…" He quickly glanced up at the stars to gain his bearings. "This way."
Mila was at first unsteady on her feet, wobbling slightly as she placed one paw in front of the other, but instinct took over and her long strides quickly caught her up to Sirius. With the strange red fire at their backs, the two began their journey into the depths of the woods.