No, I didn't abandon Into the Other World. I got stuck. Again. And whilst I figure out the second sticky part of that chapter, I might as well dish out another chapter of IPW.
Into the Parallel World
Chapter 2
Response
She sighed. The predominantly yellow fox walked out of the grocery store, tufts of red coming out of the ears bobbing. She carried a bag full of various vegetables and meats upon request from her mother.
"I forgot to get food yesterday," the Delphox had said. "Can you run and get me the stuff for chicken dinner?" The request replayed in the Braixen's mind as she crossed the street into the circular park that separated her home and the store.
Despite it being a Saturday, the park was relatively empty. The only individuals there were a few couples walking opposite the Braixen. One of them passed by her, both giving a slight wave. She shyly returned the gesture as they passed by each other.
She walked across the bend on the sidewalk before hitting a fork. The left path continued around the park's large, empty playground. The Braixen made her way into the right path, leading her home. Trees towered over the right side of the sidewalk. The grass left of the path became another field. It was only going to be another five or six minutes before she could get back to reading her books and thinking to herself.
She stared off into the trees, distracting herself from her eagerness for her books. She spotted above them a Pidgeot carrying a sack, flying in the same direction she was headed. The mailman she recognized it as. Her eyes tracked it before it disappeared over the trees.
Another entity in the sky drew her attention. It seemed like a grey speck high in the sky. She stopped to inspect it. It wasn't long before she realized that it was coming straight down and that it would land in the trees if it didn't correct itself. Her eyes widened as she realized it wouldn't. No. It couldn't. At this point, she could define what she saw. It was similar to a Gardevoir's body, but no dress. It reminded her of a story that she and the rest of her 7th grade had read in their English class.
Human? Black hair, tan legs, and red were what she saw before it crashed through the trees. She immediately approached the site of impact, only to revel in surprise, shock, and fear. It was a human. Blood was coming out of its face and chest. Its body was curved on the pack that it was laying on.
Seconds of shock gave way to concern, but fear still dug its way deep. She tried her best to suppress a hidden memory before shouting a default response most others would have said.
"OH MY ARCEUS ARE YOU OKAY?" She realized the human wouldn't be replying any time soon. She immediately dropped her bag of groceries and, resisting her mind's urges to remember something, she shakily reached into her tail and pulled out her mobile device. She phoned emergency services.
"Haven Response," the phone sounded, "what's your emergency?"
"I N-EED MED-DICAL AT H-A-AVENA PARK PAST TH-HE FIELD!" she shouted, fumbling with her words. "I'M ON THE P-ATH LEAD-ING TO THE NEIG-HBORHOO-OD. SOMEO-NE FELL FROM THE SKY-Y AND IS HURT BAD!"
"Alright, calm down ma'am. We have medical and police on their way. It will be about three minutes until the first unit arrives." The Braixen took a deep breath in an attempt to flush out the fear and anxiety. She forced it out, and with it, some anxiety her mind was racking up, before returning to the operator.
"O-okay." Then the sound of plastic colliding traveled through the line before it went dead. Shaking, she put the phone back into her tail. She couldn't take her eyes off the body. Its chest weakly rose and fell. Her mind told her to look away and run, but her body didn't budge. Then the sirens came.
She immediately stiffened, body locking up. Intense fear, dread, sadness, and other negative emotions flooded her mind. Her mind's urges suddenly busted out of her subconsciousness. She crouched and automatically pulled the red tufts coming out of her ears towards her face. No longer was she in the park with the body of an alien individual. She was back at home in the living room. She saw a tall red bird in front of her. It was in a defensive stance, back to her, as the invaders broke down the door. Then one large black and white panda rushed through. The Braixen began breathing at an alarming rate. She saw her father fight the panda while its accomplices surrounded the Blaziken. The sound of sirens intensified. She could not hear what they were saying. She could only make out rapidly moving mouths and intense hand gestures. Then, two Aggron stepped in and caught the Blaziken's arms, rendering him immobile. What she saw next made her scream.
Someone began shaking her body, and at that moment, she stopped. Sirens were no longer present. She was back at the park, still crouched. She turned and looked at whatever shook her and faced a Gallade clad in a black uniform with a special cap staring back with concern.
She immediately lunged for it and wrapped her arms around it. It returned the gesture as she cried into his arms. It shielded her eyes from the sight of other officers, their vehicles, and paramedics and their vehicle dealing with the downed human. It was only after the paramedics left, and after the fox had calmed down before the officer guided her away from the scene, carrying her bag of groceries. It sat her down on a nearby bench before sitting next to her. It then took out a pen and notepad from its breast pocket.
"Hey," it began, deep voice finding its way towards the Braixen, "do you know what happened?"
She shook her head. "I o-nly saw it falling from the s-ky and la-nding through *sniff* the trees." The officer wrote down her statement then replaced his notepad.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked, finishing his inspection for any injuries. She nodded before standing up. The officer picked up the groceries before guiding her through an alternate route to her home.
The eight-minute walk ended with the Braixen digging out the keys, only for the door to be opened by a worried Delphox. She briefly hugged her daughter before taking the bag of groceries from the Gallade's outstretched hand.
"Thank you, Sarge," the Delphox said. The officer saluted before turning left and exiting her view. She closed the door and allowed the Braixen to move upstairs and into her room. She removed her items she stuffed in her tail before getting into her primarily white bed. She grabbed a pink pillow, pulled the covers over herself, and silently cried, hugging the pillow to herself.
Unknowing to her, her mother slightly opened the door, taking a peek. She saw a lump in the covers and heard a few sporadic sniffles before closing the door.
Trauma won't let her go, she thought worriedly. She then went back downstairs to prepare dinner.
The Gallade walked on the path that the Braixen had originally intended to travel through. He walked back to the scene, now taped up and guarded by his colleagues and fellow investigators. Upon appearance, an Infernape wearing a similar uniform came up to the Gallade.
"Sergeant, the species seems to be human."
"What?" the Gallade shouted in disbelief. "Isn't that some fairy tail?"
"The only reason I and the paramedics were able to identify it was memories from the tale. We seem to have a completely alien person that has fallen into this world."
"And what of its injuries?"
"Multiple lacerations all over its body, minus the back."
"What about its possessions?"
"Its pack was recovered, covered in blood. We also found and recovered a firearm and a knife at the scene. The firearm is a Five-Seven, but its serial number is not showing up on any of our databases. And supposedly it was manufactured in this place called 'the USA.' One of the magazines had 10 rounds left, and one in the chamber. There was a second magazine found in the individual's pocket. It was full with 20 rounds. The knife doesn't have any distinct markings on them, though it did seem it was used to stab something." The senior officer sighed.
"Where did they take the subject?"
"I believe it was Haven General, Sarge."
"I'll be heading there then. I'll leave this to you." The Infernape saluted as the Gallade made his way into his vehicle. He drove off the grass and onto the road and began rolling to the hospital.
Joe slowly opened his eyes. Immediately, he could feel tendrils of pain coursing through his body, mostly suppressed by the drugs that the nurses had administered to him. He could see a white roof complimented with white lights. He managed to lift his head and inspected the bandages covering most of his body. Many were white. Some had been stained red. He couldn't see past that. He sighed. He managed to lift and briefly inspect his left arm before pain sent his arm back down.
The hospital, he thought. The sound of a switch being shifted quietly sounded through the room.
"You shouldn't be moving," someone said. He turned to the voice, seeing a green, white and black blob, courtesy of the lack of glasses. He's never seen a man with such a pale face and green hair before.
"Hah," Joe said. "I must be dreaming." He rested his head back on the pillow.
"You aren't. Take a good look."
"I can't. I need my glasses."
"Right. They broke." The blob then approached him. Joe's vision focused enough for him to recognize a Gallade clad in a black uniform. Immediately, questions flooded Joe's mind.
"The fuck? Where am I? Who are you? How long was I out?" The officer backed off and sighed before answering his questions.
"Sergeant Jenkins of the Haven Police. You're in Haven General Hospital, transported here on ambulance after you fell from the sky and through the trees at Havena Park. From the time you fell, you were out for pretty much twenty-four hours. And now I have a couple of questions for you."
"O..k?"
"Think of this as an interrogation. Currently, you are suspect for assault up to murder. Now the reason for this is because you were found with a pistol and a knife. The knife was covered in blood and seemed to have been used to stab something. The pistol shows traces of discharge, and two magazines were found. One was partially used. Now, being that you are alien to this city, and effectively the whole world, I highly doubt you injured anyone here." He took out a notepad and pen from his breast pocket. "Now. Can you tell me who and what you are?"
"Hold on. So you're telling me, that I magically transferred from my world into this pokemon world?"
"Look. We're as confused as you are. That's why we're trying to figure everything out. Also, I should tell you, your appearance was caught by some journalists. You're all over the news now, and everyone's as curious as we are." Joe again sighed.
"My name is Joe Rogers. I am human. I am 15 years old and a high school student." The scratching of pencil and paper stopped.
"And can you tell me how you got here?"
"Alright. So, school got out. It was Labor Day weekend, so we had three days off instead of two. I immediately went home, prepared my stuff to go camping, and loaded my pistol. I had the pistol because of my old habits, having brought weapons with me on hunting trips with my father. I went out into the woods behind my house to camp, as I usually did. It got dark, I ate, and slept. The next day, I made my way into a field. I didn't realize there was a bear behind me until I heard rustling. And so, I drew my weapon. I tried to back away from it, but it kept pursuing me. So I fired a round into the floor before it. Instead of running away, it came towards me, and so I shot it some more. It didn't seem fazed and knocked me over. A fight of strength ensued, where I used the knife and fired a few more shots before it pinned my arms. Then I could have sworn it went for my neck, but I didn't feel anything actually puncture it. The next thing I knew, I was suspended. I couldn't see clearly. Then I fell through what I could only assume were trees, and onto my back. The last thing I remember was a blob of red, orange, and white towering over me. And now I'm here."
"And was the bear…intelligent?"
"You mean by having a clear consciousness and knowing right from wrong? No. In my world, humans are the only species of animal capable of speech and rational decision-making. Any wild animal is unpredictable."
Sgt. Jenkins jotted down the last of the details before asking Joe, "any other details I should know?"
"No, though I do have another question."
"Go ahead."
"Was the blob that I saw last the person who called for help?"
"Yes, she was."
"Well, uh, can you relay a thanks to her?"
"Will do. Anything else?" Joe shook his head.
"I think I'm good for no- oh wait. What about my stuff?"
"I'll be considered after you are cleared and well enough to move on your own."
"Ok."
"Alright then, I need to make a call. I'll be back shortly." Sgt. Jenkins then exited the room, leaving Joe to stare at the ceiling and wonder how he was going to go back home.
Outside, Sgt. Jenkins saved the video on his body camera and shut it down. He then pulled his phone and dialed in a number. He then put it up to his head. Moments later, the other person picked up.
"Chief Diggs," the phone voiced.
"Hello, chief. Subject's injuries corroborate with his story and do not match up with the claws of anyone in Haven as well as the rest of the country. Is he cleared?" A brief pause was succeeded by an answer.
"He's cleared."
"And he was wondering about his possessions. Will he be able to get them back soon?"
"He will, but be sure to tell him that our cleanup experts went through all of his possessions and cleaned everything the best they could. Also, tell him that his backpack and clothes that he wore couldn't be completely cleaned and are biohazards that would be disposed of. Everything else is clear. Oh, and do tell him that his weapons will be in our possession for documentation and safety reasons."
"Aye Chief. I'll bring in the representative now." Sgt. Jenkins then ended the call and stuck his phone back into one of his pockets. He made his way across the hallway into a break room. He eyed the room before finding a Hatterine in one of the seats, with a cup of coffee floating beside her.
"Dr. Harris. He is cleared. His name is Joe." She got up and took the last sips from the paper cup before disposing of the empty cup inside the trash bin. She then stood and floated over to the Gallade.
"I'll need to talk to him a bit, then I can bring you inside." She nodded before following the Gallade to Joe's room, where she waited as Sgt. Jenkins entered, turning back on his camera.
Joe immediately turned to the sound of the door opening. He caught a glimpse of pink and blue before it closed again. Sgt. Jenkins then spoke.
"You are cleared. Now there are a few things that the chief wanted me to tell you concerning your possessions. First off, our cleanup experts went through everything including your clothes that you were wearing at the scene and your bags. They cleaned everything contaminated with your blood. The only things they couldn't clean were your clothes that you wore when you fell and your pack. They have been disposed of. Naturally, everything was removed. And secondly, the department will hold on to your weapons for, you know. Documentation and safety. All that jazz. You'll get to them when the chief deems so."
"Okay."
"Alright. I'm going to have another individual come in." Joe nodded. The Gallade turned and opened the door. "Dr. Harris. You can come in. A tall, ghost-like individual entered the room. "Dr. Harris will address some of her things." She floated up to the side of the bed, allowing Joe to get a clearer view of the towering pokemon.
"Hello, Joe. I am May Harris. You can address me as Dr. Harris. I am a doctor and representative of the Athana Department of Health, Athana being the country you are currently residing in. The department has taken an interest in you and your appearance and would like to conduct experiments. I assure you they are safe and aren't over the top. Of course, you will be compensated. If you allow for weekly assessments, the government will pay for all your expenses until you can support yourself. That includes your medical bills, housing, and necessities, as well as miscellaneous things, provided they aren't too extravagant and unnecessary."
"And I assume this is because I'm alien here or something?"
"Yes. More specifically, your species were documented in several fairy tales originating what seems like centuries or even tens of centuries ago. Scientists and medical professionals want to get a full analysis on the human species, now that one has arrived here." Joe was tempted to accept the offer, but curiosity about the experiments and assessments due for him pushed more questions.
"And what would those experiments and assessments be?"
"Stuff like x-rays, behavior, anatomy, genetics and physical tests."
"Oh. Well, in that case, I believe I'll take up that offer."
"Alright. I'll have everything prepared for when you are released. For now, how about we get you some new glasses?"
"I'd like that."
And so, the nurses transferred him to a smaller cot, and wheeled him across the hallway, into an elevator, down a few floors, back out the elevator, and into an optometry room. There, standard procedure for taking prescriptions took place, save for some adjustments to fit the cot. Joe got out relatively quickly and was back on his hospital bed. Dr. Harris then once again addressed him.
"About your glasses. They should be done by tomorrow. As for you, you should be out of this hospital by next week. In the meantime, until you can get up and move, you're stuck here. If you need anything, press the red call button on the side of your bed railing."
"I got a question," Joe said. "Can't one of you guys use heal pulse or something and get me up and running sooner?"
"And how, exactly, do you know about heal pulse in the first place? Are you a psychic?"
Joe did his best to scratch his head with his bandaged right arm. "Hehe, well, just as your world has fairy tales about humans, we have fairy tales on pokemon, though those tales are more like stories that were recently written in the last century. It's been so popular that hundreds of millions of copies were sold, and many have been animated into TV shows. Now thinking back, it kinda feels creepy to know a lot about things you've never seen before." A moment of shock between Dr. Harris and Sgt. Jenkins registered on their faces for a short amount of time, before they regained their composure. Not that Joe could see their expressions, but rather, he felt it.
"Well that is… interesting" Sgt. Jenkins spoke." "But to such a degree? I can only remember humans from that one English assignment back when I was in middle school!"
"A shock to be sure," Dr. Harris said. "Anyways, you can tell us everything when you're released. I'll be doing some paperwork and preparations for you. Again, if you need anything, press the button and someone will be with you." Joe did his best to wave as both the Hatterine and Gallade left the room.
Now stuck inside the room and by himself, he could only lay and stare at the ceiling or out the window, stuck back inside his head, thinking about how everything will turn out without him back at home.