I
He wasn't sure he could keep going. Not for long, at least. He was loosing worrying amounts of blood, mostly due to a large wound on his shoulder, brought upon him while he was distracted. Lugh pressed his paw against his wounded shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding. If such a wound had been inflicted by any other opponent, it would've disappeared in a couple of minutes. But he wasn't fighting against the average foe; he was fighting against Dubh.
The black Mew threw away his blades, which vaporized mid-air in a cloud of dark smoke. Then, he raised his right arm, surrounding it with black, steamy string.
"Oh, crap!" he thought, immediately understanding his opponent's intentions.
He immediately raised his left arm, ready to mimicry the attack, but it was too late. In less than a second, he found himself assaulted by a river of darkness, dragging him up and down. It felt terrible, probably the worst pain he had ever experienced in all his life; it was like being hit by a thousand scorching needles. The attack didn't last longer than ten seconds, but it dealt a serious amount of damage. As the shadow disappeared, Lugh was surprised to see he was still in one piece. But how long could he keep going. He decided that he didn't want to find out; before Dubh could attack again, the white Mew made his move. He felt a shiver run down his spine, and his body turned into light. The world seemed to freeze in time. In less than a second, he flew behind the enemy and summoned a small globe of light. Then, he moved and positioned a second globe of light, this time to the enemy's right. He did the same thing over and over, until Dubh was surrounded by whitish spheres. At that point, his body turned back to matter and time unfroze. Thousands upon thousands of glowing bolts raced towards the black Mew, too fast for him to react. But when each of them phased through him as if he was made of fog, Lugh realized that his enemy expected that attack and had turned his body in pure darkness beforehand. When the storm of light ceased, the black Mew opened his arms and fired a wave of darkness from his body. Lugh backed away, but he was too slow and the dark energy covered part of his foot, only to vanish instantly.
Along with said part of his foot.
Lugh wanted to scream in pain, but his pride didn't allow him to, even when half of his right hind-paw had been obliterated.
Dubh rose in the air and crossed his arms. «It's useless; we're two faces of the same coin when it comes to raw power, but I am way more experienced than you in battles». He flashed a teasing smile at his opponent, his eyes glowing red. «You can't beat me».
«We'll see about that», Lugh replied through gritted teeth as he rose to reach his enemy's altitude, staring fearlessly in his crimson eyes. «As long as there's air in my lungs, I'll keep fighting!».
«Admirable», Dubh sarcastically commented, «but dumb». He touched his temple with his paw. «You are loosing copious amounts of blood… when was the last time you got hit?».
«It doesn't matter». Lugh gritted his teeth even more. «I will not fall. Not by your hand, Dubh».
The smile on the black Mew's muzzle disappeared, and an annoyed expression appeared in its place. «Alright, we've played more than enough». He clenched his right fist. «It's time to get serious».
"…played?!". Lugh's pupils shrunk in shock. "He almost completely destroyed me… and he wasn't even being serious?!".
He wondered if he hadn't underestimated his foe. The answer came to him in the form of Dubh's fist pummeling his stomach.
«You've always been too weak. Too slow», Dubh coldly said. «You can't defeat me».
«True», Lugh admitted. «But I know for a fact that you won't kill me».
The white Mew knew he had hit a soft spot when his brother stood silent for a couple of seconds before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.
«I'm just adking you to think about the greater good», Dubh replied, calmer. «It's a matter of principle».
«…the greater good?». Lugh blinked his eyes, keeping his unyielding rage in check, before saying: «The greater good?! What kind of "good" will come from an innocent's death?! Dammit, Dubh, this isn't his fault! He did nothing wrong!».
«And yet his existence is a threat to out world», the darker Mew continued, firm in his belief. «It's his life against those of everyone else, Lugh».
«It's not true. It can't be!», Lugh protested.
«But it is true», Dubh insisted, now slightly annoyed. «Dammit, sometimes I just can't understand what's wrong with you all! First, our big brother, now you… that kid is a threat to the world's balance! It doesn't matter whether it's his fault or not. The germs causing diphtheria don't know what they're doing, the don't know they're hurting us. And yet, we try to destroy them. The kid's situation is not that different; as sad as it is, there is no other way. Accept it, and make things easier for everyone».
«You know, I think longevity must've gone to your head!», the white Mew replied, furious. «It's happening to everyone of us; one of our big brothers has gone missing, the other one hates himself. Out little brother is no longer the same, and our little sister feels like a useless piece of trash, holy heck!».
«And you have forgot your duties», was Dubh's reply. «Come the heck on, am I the only one with a bit of common sense? I at least try to do what I have to! Yeah, maybe you think my methods are less than pleasant, but I'm literally the only one who does something, for heaven's sake!».
Lugh opened his mouth, only to close it immediately. He didn't know what to say. Truth to be told, his brother's words had hurt him more than his attacks; probably because he knew he was right.
«Listen, I want to help you», the Mew said. «Get out of my way, and no one else will get hurt. Be in my way, and I'll have to make you reconsider several of your life choices».
Lugh clenched his teeth, impervious. «Never».
II
He was walking in a ginormous field under the night sky. As he raised his gaze, he noticed the cloud-covered Moon, surrounded by a yellowish flare. The sea of tall grass tickled his chin. He lowered his head; he could see two blurred figures in the distance, a few yards away from him. He walked towards them; what else could he do? The closer to them he walked, the loer the grass got, until his paws touched naked soil. Eventually, he reached the two creatures, stopping just a few feet behind them. They both had their backs turned to him and were staring at the moon. The taller one stood on two legs; streaks of black hairs topped his head, long enough to brush against the ground. The smaller one, instead, was floating a few feet aboive the ground; his long tail would seemingly hover in the wind, while his milk-white fur was painted a scary, pale yellowish hue under the weird moonlight. He didn't recognize either of them.
The Pikachu glared at the sky for a while, shivering in the breeze, before finding enough courage to ask: «Hey… what's wrong with the moon tonight?».
«Isn't it clear?», the white creature replied, slowly turning towards him. His eye-sockets were filled with two scorching fires. «Can't you feel it? Can't you see it?».
«It has a good enough reason», the other creature answered, turning her head and showing an eyeless, noseless face. «With its light, it gives life to dead eyes».
Scared, the Pikachu took a step back… only to feel the groundless void under him. Surprised, Arthur couldn't avoid falling in the awaiting darkness. Suddenly, however, he smashed against a water surface, sinking in the shadows. The Pikachu fought to keep himself afloat. But the current pushed him down, down, way down, in the open maw of an unimaginable abyss. The Mouse Pokémon thrashed his arms, legs and tail, until he was able to fight the water as best as he could. Now almost breathless, Arthur began to swim upwards against the current. When his head finally broke the water's surface, he took the most desperately wanted breath of air of his entire life. Then, he opened his eyes. And he found himself surrounded by pitch-black darkness. No matter where he looked, all he could see was one black, thick shadow. The Pikachu kept afloat for a while, not knowing what to do, when a gurgling sound echoed in the air. In that same moment, the Mouse Pokémon began spinning on himself, slowly at first, then faster and faster, out of control. He thrashed his limbs, trying to move as much as he could, but the current suddenly dragged him down again, and the water closed above his head.
III
The Pikachu squirmed violently, fighting against the water and its monstrous strength, but his paw grasped something softer and drier. Arthur threw the bed-sheets on the floor and sat up, panting, drenched in cold sweat. Then, he looked around; he was still there. In his room. Safe. He stood sat still for a bit, before letting himself fall on the bed with his arms wide open, unable to do anything but think about his situation. Not that there was a lot to think about, except for the fact that things had taken a turn for the better; the previous morning, he had found himself with no memories at all, in a world he didn't know and filed with weird creatures, some of which could eat him. After that grumpy Riolu had taken him to the guild, he had been hired as a latter's staff member. Then, he had been attacked by two outlaws who had somehow entered the building, and he had been knocked out for a bit. After waking up, he had lunch. And after having lunch, he had been asked to clean hard, which he had done. And then, he had been informed on what his daily tasks would be, including but limited to; clean the rooms, clean the hallways, wash the dishes, help in the kitchen, take car of some important tools' maintenance, take care of the garden, and other things. Long story short, it had been a very tiring day, after which the Pikachu wanted nothing more than to sink into his bed and stay there for the next five millions years.
Unluckily, after repeatedly turning around under his bed-sheets, Arthur realized that he just couldn't go back to sleep. Frustrated, he glared at the alarm clock on the night table; 4.00 am. There were only two hours left before having to wake up, so maybe going back to sleep wouldn't be that good an idea.
"Well, I might as well get ready". He climbed down the bed, which felt weird to him because whoever occupied that room before him was taller than him, and the bed was fittingly big, just enough to make him hold on to the sheets in order to safely get down. "Holy heck, did this room belong to some kind of giant or something?!".
He shook his head. It was pointless to think about such things. The Pikachu stretched his hand towards the lower doorknob (there was a higher one and another one even higher than that, for reasons beyond his comprehension) and turned it, opening the door. He closed it behind his shoulders as soon as he got out before taking a quick look around, scanning the hallway and its doors, each marked with a number on a plate. His room was the number 025, ground floor. Arthur stretched his arms behind his back as he headed to the bathroom.
«Why are you up so soon?».
Arthur froze upon hearing a familiar voice. He turned around; behind him, maybe a bit too close to him, stood Cruach's proud and stern figure.
His ears flattened against his head. «W-well… I w-w-woke up early, a-and I thought I m-m-might as get ready for the day earlier…».
The Lucario stood silent for a bit, her face like an iron mask, before saying: «I heard you've lost your memory».
«Y-Yes…».
«And you don't know how things work».
«N-Now, now, l-let's not judge people hastily… like, I know some things! I know how doors work, I know what a tree and a glass are…».
«Can you use Thunder Shock?».
«…the hell is a Thunder Shock?».
«Double Team?».
«Pardon?».
«Spark? Thunder Wave? Feint? Is there anything you can do?».
«…I didn't even understand half of what you said…».
«…are you telling me you couldn't even defend yourself if someone Fire Punched you?».
«What's a Fire Punch?».
«What's a Fire- are you kidding me?».
«Well, I mean… no, not really. It's the first time I've ever heard about a Fire Punch, and I have no idea what that is… though judging by its name, it sounds like a punch-shaped thing that's constantly on fire».
At that point, the Lucario added: «Well, I hope you quickly learn how things work around here, least you want to find yourself in some very unpleasant situations». With that said, she went beyond him and disappeared behind a corner.
The Pikachu clenched his fists; that woman pissed him off, especially given the way she had slapped Lugh the day before. But she was also scary enough that his common sense suggested him it was better not to annoy her. Frustrated, Arthur headed down the same hallway and soon found himself standing before the bathrooms' doors.
IV
As soon as he entered the kitchen, Arthur noticed that Kells, the guild's cook, had already put a teapot on the fire and set a small table in a corner.
The Pikachu sat at the table, half-asleep, which appeared to surprise Kells.
«You don't look too good», the Gengar sure enough commented. «You didn't stay up late, did you?».
«I don't know… I'm not sure I understood how the schedule works», he answered the Pikachu, taking a couple of bread slices and putting them into the device designed for their toasting. «I was super-duper tired yesterday evening; I didn't know cleaning could be that tiring. So, I probably didn't pay enough attention to you when you explained the schedule to me».
«Well, then let's make one thing clear; for us staff members, the wake up call is at 4.00 am». The Gengar took the air, grabbing a pat of butter and a jam jar from a nearby shelf. «You know, since we have to prepare breakfast for the Explorers…».
«Yeah, makes sense», Arthur commented. After hearing an unmistakable ding, he collected his bread slices. «…we aren't the only staff members around, are we?».
«For the moment, yes, we are», Kells answered. Upon seeing the Pikachu's surprised face, he added: «Oh, don't be so surprised; the Captain didn't probably mention it, but this staff thing is a work in progress. Some Explorers are tasked with cleaning shifts. But Kelly doesn't like that; she thinks Explorers should, well… explore».
«Well, I won't mind if someone helps me from time to time», the Pikachu said, buttering his bread slice. «I mean, I was so tired yesterday after cleaning a part of the building! I mean… how big is this place, actually?».
«Very big», the Gengar explained, pouring himself some tea. «But don't worry; Kelly is old, but she sure as heck isn't dumb. She fully knows that we could never handle cleaning all of this, given that we also have to cook. Explorers take care of the cleaning for now; and they must keep their room in order».
«Well, that's a relief; I can't imagine what I'd do if I also had to clean the bedrooms», the Mouse Pokémon commented as he finished his breakfast. «I was exhausted after cleaning the hallways, really».
«Goodmorrrrrrning».
Arthur turned his head towards the serving hatch. A small, brown, quadrupedal figure with a thick-furred tail and long ears had entered. Her fur was unkempt enough to make her look like some kind of hazelnut-cloud on four legs. It was only thanks to her voice that Arthur recognized her.
«…is that Fay?», he asked Kells under his breath, surprised. «I thought she was an Explorer… why is she up this early?».
The Gengar shrugged. «Maybe she's just a morning person; we can't blame her for wating to get up early, can we?».
«Yeah, no, we can't», the Pikachu answered, keeping an eye on the Eevee.
Fay stopped in the middle of the dining room, as half-asleep as could be, before giving herself a good shake, probably – according to Arthur – to wake up. She looked around, with a more aware expression… and headed towards Arthur.
«Good morning», she greeted him. «How are you?».
The Pikachu blinked twice. «Uh… I'm f-fine, I guess… also, good morning».
«Good morning to you, too!», Fay said, this time talking to Kells.
The Gengar raised his thumb. «Good morning».
«So», the Eevee continued, now back to Arthur. «I came here because I hoped to finish our chat from yesterday».
«Oh, uh…». Arthur turned to Kells, who was ransacking the sideboard. «It's not a problem, is it?».
«No, don't worry», the Gengar reassured him. «Hurry up, though, I can't do everything on my own».
«Alright, I'll be quick», the Mouse Pokémon promised while turning to Fay. «So…».
«There's something I'd like to ask you». The Eevee tilted her head, a puzzled look on her face. «How come I didn't see you at dinner, yesterday?».
Arthur just stood there, stupefied. He hadn't had dinner yesterday evening. He hadn't even thought about it.
«DAMN IT!», Kells cussed, facepalming hard. «That's what I forgot yesterday!». He then turned to Arthur. «Sorry. I forgot to tell you when dinner was…».
«Huh… that's why I was hungry». The Pikachu gave him a thumb-up. «Don't worry, it's okay».
«Geez. It must've been nasty», Fay commented.
«Yup. Going to sleep while hungry is not pleasant», Arthur confirmed.
«Feck, do I understand where you're coming from!». The Eevee sighed, and her ears drooped. «Every time I did something bad, my parents would send me to bed without dinner».
«Oh my!». Arthur's eyes widened in shock. «That… that sound nasty…».
«Eh, it wasn't that terrible. Also, it was completely justified», Fay admitted, wrapping her tail around her paws. «I'd get in all kind of troubles… there was this time when I ate every pecha berry in my parents' garden, felt sick and puked on my quilt. They didn't like that».
«…oh», was all that the Pikachu could say, mentally adding; "Does she really talk about this kind of things in a normal conversation?!". Then, however, he thought of a question to ask her. «Hey, uhm… can I ask you something?».
«Oh, of course!», the Eevee, who didn't appear the slightest bit embarassed after telling that story, conceded. «Ask me as many questions as you want!».
«Why are you talking to me?», Arthur inquired. «Like… why did you decided to speak to me of all people in here?».
The question seemed to take the Eevee by surprise. She pulled her head back. «Why wouldn't I? I'm new here, and I'd like to socialize». Then, she got closer and her voice turned into a whisper. «Also, I want to have nothing to do with that Riolu. He's so unpleasant!».
«You don't say», Arthur commented sarcastically. «But really, why me? I mean… there must be at least someone else your age here!».
«…you didn't look around too much, did you?», Fay asked, somehow amused. «There's no one else my age here, come on!».
«…wait, how old are you?», the Pikachu asked before slapping a hand on his mouth; he didn't quite know how, but he knew that asking a girl about her age was rude.
«I'm fifteen», the Explorer answered with extreme calmness. «What?», she asked upon noticing Arthur's surprised face. «…did you thing I'd get offended? I'm not old enough to feel the need to hide my age!».
«What? No!», the Mouse Pokémon immediately replied. «I didn't want to offend you!».
«Cool», the Eevee commented. «Cool». An awkward silence fell between them, until the girl said: «I have no idea what we should talk about anymore».
«Okay, uh… let me try». The Pikachu closed his eyes and massaged his temples, reflecting intensively; what was a good question to ask. Then, suddenly, he came up with a perfect one. «Where are you from?». Arthur rejoiced on the inside; that question would allow him to know something about geography.
«From Maigh Cuilinn», the Eevee answered. «It's a small village near the Emerald Forest. My parents bought a house that's basically thirty yards away from its outskirts!». It was impossible to understand whether she was scared or excited. «And it's small, too! I bet they bought it for a laughable price!».
«…okay», the Pikachu commented, not knowing what else to ask. «And… Maigh Cuilinn… is it a nice place?».
«Why are you asking that?», Fay inquired out of sheer curiosity.
«Because I'm curious», was Arthur's completely sincere answer. «I mean, think about my situation; I'm amnesiac. Is it really weird for me to ask about the world and stuff?».
«Hey!». Before Fay could reply, Kells hurried over to Arthur. «Okay, listen, I just realized something!».
«What is it?», the Pikachu asked, immediately turning towards him.
«You can't cook!», the Gengar answered. Upon noticing Arthur's puzzled expression, the Gengar explained. «Your fur would fall in the food! Holy heck, why the hell did I realize that now?!».
«O-Okay, s-so… what can I do?!». The Mouse Pokémon desperately wanted to earn himself some money. «I won't be thrown out of the Guild, right?!».
«No, no, listen; you'll deal with the tables», the Gengar ordered. «This way, we can split the work».
«Alright, that's great», the Pikachu commented, aware that the Explorers wouldn't come in before two hours. «Do you need anything else?».
«No, don't worry», the Gengar reassured him, giving him a thumb-up. «I can do this».
«And what can I do in the meantime?», Arthur asked.
«Set the tables», Kells ordered, pointing at a cupboard in the kitchen. «The cutlery's in there. Pull it all out. And if you find any fur on it, take it off».
«Yes sir!». Arthur turned to Fay. «It was nice talking to you!».
«Same! Do you need a paw with setting the tables?», the Eevee asked.
«No, thanks! It's my job, I have to do it», the Pikachu answered, hurrying over the cutlery cupboard. «Okay», he whispered to himself. «Time to get some work done!».