I
The house was pretty small, with just two rooms and a bathroom, yet it felt incredibly comfortable, undoubtedly different than the average studio flat, probably due to the crackling fire place, or the half-eaten leftovers on the table. There was only a plate on the tablecloth, and in it lied a miserable, half-eaten slice of bread and cheese. There was a small picture on a short chest of drawers, right next to an old TV.
«I never would've thought my own brother would go this far», a deep voice commented, a voice whose owner's black paw was lightly touching the picture's frame, as if he wanted to examine it with his fingers first. «And yet, here we have an irrefutable proof». The dark creature moved, sliding mid-air towards the bedroom. «Is this where they slept?», he muttered to himself, eyeing the double mattress on the bed. «I'll take that as a yes». He knew that bed had experienced more… interesting things than the two of them sleeping, but he'd rather not think abut that. «…it's crazy that he went this far! And for what?!». He shook his head. «I'm getting too distracted… clues, I need clues…». His eyes shone red, and with a light Psychic attack he opened the nigh-tables' drawers, pulling out of them whatever he could find. At a first glance, it looked like there was nothing special in there; mostly paper folders, ornaments, books and a weird rectangular thing whose nature he didn't care to understand.
"…dang it!", he mentally swore, dropping everything on the bed. "It will take a lot of time to check all of this out!".
In that moment, a jerking of his tail made him turn towards the shadow cocoon linked to him through a thread of darkness. Dubh's calm, crimson eyes crossed his brother's blue, furious ones. As much as Lugh tried to squirm, he couldn't free himself from the cocoon, with his head being the only part of his body he could move.
«Ah, I see what's going on!», Dubh exclaimed, pointing at his brother, whose mouth had been conveniently gagged with a gag of darkness. «You don't like me rummaging through this stuff!».
Unable to answer in a better way, Lugh struggled. In an act of pity, the black-furred Mew removed the shadows from his brother's mouth so that he could express his opinion.
«TAKE YOUR PAWS OFF THOSE!», the white-furred Mew immediately yelled. «WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! THAT STUFF AIN'T YOURS! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!».
«Okay, I see where you're coming from», Dubh explained for the umpteenth time, «but this situation is all your fault! None of this would be happening, had you been more careful! That's it! That's all you needed; a bit of common sense! Did you even think what kind of consequence your actions would've had?!». His crimson eyes narrowed. «Did you forget why we accepted our Authorities?». His gaze turned calmer, and his tone softened. «I'm sorry. I'm sorry for you, and for that boy, for he is nothing but a victim of your rashness!».
«…you have a very weird way to show your regret», Lugh whispered, lowering his head. A shadow covered his eyes. «Let's suppose you're right; let's suppose his death is the only possible way. And let's suppose you will kill him. What do you think will happen after that?».
«The balance will be restored, and the world will take a step away from destruction».
«And what abut me?».
Dubh froze for a second. «…what do you mean?».
«What do you think I'll do after you kill him?», Lugh asked. «What actions will I take?».
Dubh stared at him as if he had asked him which way the Sun set. «…why? What kind of actions would you need to take? You can just move forward; leave this story behind and keep doing your job. There is no reason for you to do anything else but that-».
«That's where you're wrong!», Lugh abruptly interrupted him, raising his head; his eyes were shining like cold stars. «I've got reasons to do something different! I've always had them, but you'd never understand!».
«EXACTLY! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!», the dark Mew burst. «HOLY… HECK, LUGH! YOU JUST… YOU JUST… YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO NOTHING, YOU GET IT? NOTHING! NONE OF THIS WOULD'VE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T DONE ANYTHING! YOU JUST HAD TO COME BACK HOME, BUT NO! YOU WANTED TO EXPLORE! AND AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS, HERE WE ARE IN THIS TERRIBLE SITUATION! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS?! BECAUSE YOU COULD HAVE, LUGH, YOU COULD HAVE. AFTER ALL, WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLY COMPLEX ORGAN IN OUR SKULLS THAT ALLOWS US TO PROCESS INFORMATION!». He stood silent for a bit, breathing heavily. Then, with a much calmer voice, he added; «It's called a "brain", have you ever heard of it?».
And at that point, Dubh reapplied the shadow gag on the Mew's muzzle, in order to shut up any possible source of distractions.
He had work to do.
II
Lugh's entrance in the dining room was, as usual, ignored by everyone, which the Riolu didn't mind; he always had breakfast alone. That day, like every other day, he headed towards the serving hatch and waited in line behind a few other Explorer. When it finally was his turn to collect his breakfast tray – which consisted, by the way, of the usual porridge and water glass – he was taken by surprise upon noticing the one serving him was that red-eyed Pikachu.
«Hi there!», Arthur greeted him, pouring a perfect serving of porride on a ceramic bowl which he proceeded to put on the tray. «How's life going?».
«It's fine, thanks», Lugh answered flatly. «You know, I still remember those times when no one would get on my nerves at 6 am».
«…you know, I feel like you don't have many friends. If you were nicer, maybe you'd have some more», the Pikachu replied, putting the glass of water near the porridge bowl. «It's just a friendly advice…».
«Thank you and goodbye», Lugh said, taking his tray and going to sit in his usual spot, where he'd be able to have breakfast in peace.
And yet, even after sitting down, the Emanation Pokémon couldn't be unaware of his sister's gaze from the other side of the dining room. He raised his gaze; he could see her staring at him, almost as if she wanted to have him for breakfast. But he couldn't look her in the eyes, because Cruach's only presence was enough to clutch his stomach in an iron grip.
«Wow», a feminine voice next to him commented. «Guess where the only free sitting spot is?».
«I imagine it's right next to me», the Riolu sarcastically guessed, «and I believe it is your intention to sit on it».
«Yes», the Eevee confirmed. «I hope you won't mind if I turn my intentions into a reality».
«Not at all», Lugh replied. «I'm fine with it, as long as you're not annoying me».
«That won't be a problem». The Evolution Pokémon put her tray on the table and sat down. «There is no reason for me to talk to you».
«Great». The Riolu started eating his insipid porridge.
Fay did the same, trying her hardest not to spit it out as soon as it touched her tongue; that thing was really, REALLY disgusting! Nevertheless, she swallowed her food; she'd rather avoid the previous morning's shameful scene when, unprepared for her breakfast nonexistent flavor, she had spit some porridge on the face of the Pokémon sitting right in front of her. Just thinking about that was embarrassing enough; she didn't want to relive the experience! So, fighting against her gag reflexes, she managed to consume her breakfast.
«Holy heck…», she groaned, drinking her water immediately. «I swear, I'm never eating porridge in my life ever again…».
«Ain't that what you said yesterday?», Lugh pointed out, after consuming his breakfast with no issues. «That guy didn't look too pleased to have his face covered in half-chewed porridge and spit».
Fay turned towards him with murder in her eyes. «Shut up, you. Weren't you supposed to mind your own business?».
«Yeah, but seeing you trying not to vomit was way too hilarious, I couldn't resist», the Riolu answered. A grin formed on his lips. «You should've seen yourself, you looked as if you were about to choke».
«The next time I need to puke, then, I'll puke on your face», the Eevee replied. «How about that? Would you like it?».
«…no», Lugh replied honestly. «No, thanks; I have standards. It's funny only if it happens to somebody else».
«Good», the Eevee said, balancing the tray on her head. «I'm going to put this back and-».
A sudden bang echoed through the room, followed by a crack. Fay jumped in surprise, dropping the tray on the ground; both the glass and the bowl shattered into pieces.
"…what the hell was that?", Lugh asked himself, raising an eyebrow as he stood up on his chair to have a better look. "It came from the kitchen".
The Riolu peeked beyond the serving hatch. And only then did he notice the faint but persistent smell of blood soaking the air.
III
Voices.
Just voices.
They were the only things inhabiting that tug-of-war between reality and darkness, that limbo between the material world and the unconscious.
«How is he?».
«Not good… he fell from a pretty high place, after all…».
«Then what the heck are you waiting for?! Bring him to the infirmary!».
«I can't just move him! He could've had a concussion! About that», the voice turned into a whisper, «we should lower our voices, so that things don't get worse».
«Okay. Sorry».
«That's better. Get out of here, though; the more, the worse! I want you to stay at least eleven feet and a half away, got it?».
«Okay, okay!».
«Good. Now, let's have a look… there's no blood coming out of his head, which is good. But one of his ears is bleeding, which is bad».
Arthur didn't reply. He couldn't reply, as much as he wanted to. But how was he supposed to reply, exactly? Everything was so confusing and… dark, except for a few sporadic spots of light splashing through shadows.
"What the heck?", the Mouse Pokémon asked himself, rightfully confused. "What the heck just happened?".
And eventually, he found himself laying on a hard and cold surface. In front of him stood two pink-and-cream furred creatures with light-blue eyes.
«Aaaah…». Slowly, Arthur stretched his arm towards them. «You two… I dunno who you're supposed to be, but… your fur… looks so… soft…».
The two creatures stood silent for a bit. Then, speaking in sync with one feminine voice, they uttered: «Okay. Diagnosis; cerebral concussion».
It was the last thing Arthur heard before sinking in darkness.
IV
He woke up after what felt like hours, laying on something soft and fresh.
«Good morning, eh», a familiar feminine voice greeted him. Poppy was writing something on a folder. «You've been out of commission for a while».
«What the hell happened?», Arhur asked, his head throbbing painfully.
The Audino tilted her head. «You don't remember?».
The Mouse Pokémon shook his head… and fell prey to an atrocious migraine.
«…alright, let's make something clear. DO. NOT. MOVE. YOUR. HEAD», the doctor explained. «You had a cerebral concussion, for heaven's sake!».
«…a what?», Arthur asked, arching an eyebrow.
«A concussion. That's when your brain touches your head», Poppy explained, still writing. «You were asked to get some glasses, but they were on a pretty high shelf, so you climbed on a stool, but then you… well… you lost your balance».
«Ah», the red-eyed Pikachu said. «…why did I need glasses?».
«Probably because you had to pour water in them», the Audino hypothesized. «Kells can float, so he's used to keep things in high places».
«I see, I see», Arthur muttered, resting his head on the bed. «…so, what happened?».
«You fell from a stool?».
«And then?».
«You hit your head».
«And then?».
«You passed out».
«And then?».
«You were conscious for a brief moment».
«And then?».
«You passed out again».
«And then?».
«I brought you here».
«And then?».
«You woke up after two hours».
«And then?».
«I explained you what happened».
«Ah», the Pikachu replied, blinking twice. «…and what happened?».
The Audino allowed her face to sink in the palm of her paw. «I'll tell you after you get better. For now, you need rest. And when I say "rest", I mean COMPLETE rest! Got it?».
Arthur gave her a thumb-up. «Okay»
«Good», the Audino said, sitting on a nearby stool. «I prescribe you a period of rest, with adequate night sleep and light activity during the day, which will continue until the most obvious symptoms are gone. Then, you'll gradually go back to normal».
«Cool!», the Pikachu commented. «And… how much time will this take?».
«The symptoms usually disappear after seven, ten days», the Audino explained, going back to writing, «but it takes more time for kids and teens. You should be fine in two weeks».
«Great», the Pikachu commented, sarcastic. «My first day at work, and I got in an accident. That's what I call a great start…».
«So… for the next days, try to avoid activities that require attention and focus». Poppy continued, reading from her folder. «You can't read, watch TV (we don't have one anyways) or play videogames».
"Videogames". The word sounded weirdly familiar to Arthur. "…where did I hear that already?". Because he was sure he had heard it, even though he had no idea what it referred to. And yet, it felt like there was… something, lurking in his mind. Some kind of mix of words, advice and concepts. He just needed to focus and go deeper…
«YOWCH!», the Mouse Pokémon yowled as he fell prey to an unpleasing migraine. It felt like someone was hammering a nail in his brain! He jerked forward, grabbing his head between his hands. «Ouch… ouchouchouchouchouch…».
«…excuse me, what did I just tell you?!», the Audino exclaimed, slightly annoyed. «You mustn's focus on anything, got it? ANY-THING!».
«Aaaaah… s-sorry, sorry…», the Pikachu muttered, massaging his head. «It's just… um… that thing… video… those videothings, those…».
«Videogames?». Poppy sighed, putting herself together. «Don't even think about them! You can't play them!».
«But I don't even know what they are», Arthur explained. He crossed his arms on his chest. «I mean, I do know the word… but I don't know what it means!».
«Well, they are electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device – such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device – to generate visual feedback, which is then shown on a screen and-». She froze for a second before tilting her head. «…how can you know a word and ignore its meaning?».
«Well… how can I explain it?». The Pikachu scratched his head. «I've heard that word before, somewhere. But I didn't know what it meant».
The doctor lowered her gaze on the floor, scratching her chin with a paw. «…interesting». Then, she turned back to her patient. «Arthur, I don't want to get your hopes up, but you might've made a minuscule step towards recovering your memory».
The Mouse Pokémon's ears stood on end. «R-Really?!».
«Yes». The Audino rubbed her face. «But we can't investigate any further. I've said too much already. Now, you must rest. The rehabilitation treatment will start tomorrow. For now, don't do ANYTHING».
«Alright, alright…», Arthur resigned himself, allowing his ears to drop on the mattress. «…well, I'll try. Out of curiosity, what time is it?».
«8.00 am», the Audino answered. «Enough, though. Sleep, don't sleep, do what you want; just rest».
«Okay, okay». The Mouse Pokémon closed his eyes, remaining silent and still for a few minutes. «…wait, are you still here?».
«Of course I am», the doctor whispered. «I can't just leave you alone; I need to keep my eyes on you because if you vomit, if you bleed from your ears, I need to intervene. Getting a concussion is different than stabbing your foot against a doorstep».
The Pikachu opened his eyes. «So you're gonna watch me sleep».
«Yes», Poppy answered, serious. «Don't worry, though, I won't follow you into the bathroom».
«Well, that's not too reassuring», the Mouse Pokémon commented. «I think I just found out that I don't like being watched while I sleep».
«I'm here to help you», the Audino patiently explained. «I need to keep my eyes on you in case something bad happens».
«…I can't sleep like this». Arthur sighed, frustrated. «I just can't».
«Well, what do you want to do then?», the Audino asked, leaning forward.
«I don't know», the Mouse Pokémon replied, letting his arms fall along his sides. «This situation feels absurd; I don't know who I am, I don't know who I am, I don't know anything about what I am, I mean… it's hard». He looked at his paws. «Those guys from yesterday… one could shoot dark balls and the other… could shoot seeds. I felt useless there. Like, I can't do anything like that! I'm mediocre!».
«You can't know that». Poppy looked at him in the eyes with a serious face. «You probably just need some training».
«Training for what?», Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.
«Training for using moves», the doctor replied with seriousness. «Now, according to what I know, you'll tell me that you have no idea what the heck I'm talking about».
«I sure as heck don't», the Mouse Pokémon indeed admitted. «What the hell is a "move"?».
«Well, let's start from the basics». The Audino got up. «First of all, you need to know that every living being on this planet possesses an energy called "aura". You can think of it as the essence of every life form». She then clenched her fist, which, right in front of Arthur's widened eyes, caught fire. «As for now, we have identified eighteen different types of aura; Normal, Fire, Fighting, Water, Flying, Grass, Poison, Electric, Ground, Psychic, Rock, Ice, Bug, Dragon, Ghost, Dark, Steel and Fairy». She shook her hand, and the flames disappeared. «The many ways through which aura is manipulated are called "moves"». She opened her hands and showed the Mouse Pokémon her palms. He was surprised to see they weren't burnt in the slightest. «What you just saw is called "Fire Punch". And it's a Fire type move».
«Holy… heck…». Arthur's eyes sparkled. «THAT WAS SO COOL!».
«Don't get too excited», Poppy warned him seriously. «Or you'll never catch some sleep».
«But you're the one who told me about FLAMING FISTS!», the Pikachu pointed out. «Holy heck, how can I do that?».
«You can't», the Audino explained. «You're a Pikachu. Pikachu can't learn Fire type moves».
«…ah», Arthur said, trying his best to hide the disappointment of seeing his blazing dreams of glory turn into smoke. «…so I can't spit fire?».
«Don't beat yourself down», the doctor reassured him, serious. «You're an Electric type, so you can use electricity».
«Wait, so I can shoot lightnings?!», Arthur inquired, his eyes sparkling. «THAT SOUNDS SO DAMN COOL! HOW DO I DO THAT?!».
«Maybe I'll tell you when you get better», Poppy said, without abandoning her serious expression. «But for now, SLEEP!».
«But it's eight am-». A gaze from the Audino was more than enough to shut the Pikachu up. «…alright, I'll try to get some rest…».
V
«So, the problem is that everyone seems to think I'm gay», Cedric explained. «Even though I'm not. I. AM. NOT!».
«…are you sure about that?». Rosemary buzzed towards the "Prose" section. «I mean, maybe you subconsciously refuse to accept it».
«…Rosemary, I'm pretty sure I know my sexual orientation», the Minccino said, sitting behind his desk and taking notes, sometime gazing at a book opened to his left. «I've NEVER shown any kind of interest towards males… and yet, EVERYONE in Peppermint Creek think I'm homosexual!». He slammed his fist on the desk, frustrated. «BUT. I. AM. NOT!».
«Where do you keep crime fictions?», the Ribombee asked.
«Prose section, Narrative category, ninth shelf», the Chinchilla Pokémon answered, going back to focus on his noted. «I even told them; I keep telling them every time, but it's like banging my head against a wall! THEY KEEP CALLING ME "FAG", AND I HATE IT!».
«Wow». The Ribombee picked up a book with a dark and golden cover, and started flipping its pages. «That's way beyond rudeness».
«I know, right?». The Minccino adjusted his glasses, pressing them on his snout. «To be honest, it's fine for me if they get it wrong… but that's no reason to call me names! The "southern fag"… can you believe that?».
«Cedric, I've never heard a southerner accent than yours», Rosemary pointed out, buzzing in front of him. She kept herself in static flight for a bit before landing on the floor. «I'll take this», she said, putting the book on the desk.
The Chinchilla Pokémon stopped paying attention to his note-writing work in order to look at the volume's title. «"Murder on the Iron Sue"», he read aloud, before looking at the buyer. «I didn't know you liked seafaring crime fiction».
«Oh, I don't like them», the Ribombee specified, thrusting her hand in the purse around her neck. «Not yet. I'm trying new things».
«It's six pounds». Cedric pulled a small book out of a drawer, writing down the article's title, its price, its buyer's name and the buying date. «Will you pay now, or…».
«I'll pay now». She put six shining coins on the table before grabbing the book and putting it under her arm. «Here's the money».
Cedric ripped a piece of paper from his book and handed it to her. «And here's your receipt».
«Thanks». Rosemary turned around and left the shop.
Cedric just stared at her as she flew away. Had he been honest with himself, the Minccino would've admitted that he only used the bookshop as a warehouse for all the books he had collected, given that he actually never had any intention of selling them – he just needed a place to store them. With the underground chambers, his bookshop contained a rather impressive amount of book, somewhere around two hundred thousand volumes between narrative fiction, essays, religious books and so on (there was also a four volumes encyclopedia about pokédermic bibliopegy, which was the practice of binding books in Pokémon skin, bound, ironically, in Pokémon skin). He wouldn't have left them for no reason at all. Except for Rosemary.
Rosemary was the one and only Pokémon that Cedric considered something close to a friend, and a loyal customer.
The Minccino took his glasses off to rub his eyes and resumed working on his notes. He now regretted not going with his brother after having a change of mind at the last second.
«I need to find him», he told himself, dashing off important info. «I need to find him before he does».