Part One: A Sea Breeze

Chapter One: Figures in the Fog

The first thing she felt upon waking was the chilled blast of wind that crashed upon her in waves. Groggily, Runa opened her eyes, quietly groaning at the intense throbbing in her head. She swallowed, her throat feeling dry and scratchy.

Shakily, she tried to stand. That took a bit more effort than she had anticipated, and she felt a nauseating shiver run through her as she nearly toppled to the ground. Taking a moment to collect herself, she attempted to stand once again.

Successful in her endeavor, Runa stood, her legs feeling uneven on the dead grass she had been laying on for who knows how long. Looking around, Runa took note of her surroundings. A clearing of gloomy undergrowth encircled her. On all sides, a dense forest stretched into the distance. Gazing skywards, Runa noticed that the thick leaves of the skeletal trees cast a dark shroud over the forest floor, forbidding any sunlight from reaching the foliage below. A chilling wind wailed through the branches, rustling the virescent leaves every few minutes, as if the harsh gale was making an attempt to wipe away any trace of life from the frail timbers.

Returning her gaze to the seemingly endless forest surrounding her, Runa steeled herself. I can't stay here, she thought. I won't get anything done if I just stand here. I have to get moving. This forest has to lead somewhere.

Taking a step forward, Runa paused, sensing something amiss. Looking down, she froze, paralyzed by terror. Her human foot had become a white talon.

She had somehow become a Swablu.

Flapping a cloud-like wing experimentally, Runa attempted to process the sudden turn of events. She frowned pensively. She asked herself, how can this be possible? I was human before, so how did I end up here, as a Swablu? Wracking her brain, Runa tried to recall how she ended up in her current predicament. That's when realization struck her. Besides knowing her name and the fact that she had previously taken the form of a human, Runa could not recall a single aspect of her personal history or how she could have ended up in the damp, gloomy forest that seemed to encage her in a prison of dead foliage and spindly cadaverous trees.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, Runa figured that she would have to put her questions aside for now in order to focus on her true priorities. I can't just stay here, Runa thought determinedly. I have to find shelter and food first. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll find someone who has some clue as to how I turned into a Swablu.

Putting her best foot forward, Runa set off into the dark woods, unaware of the purple fog that was beginning to set in behind her.

Making her way from the clearing, the Swablu pondered her predicament as she trudged through the damp moorland. If I manage to find someone, will I be able to speak to them? If not, maybe I can try to figure out some sort of code to communicate with. And even if I am able to find someone and speak to them, will I be able to find any sort of clue as to what I've forgotten? Because if I can't, I won't be able to get back to where I'm supposed to be. I really hope I haven't worried anyone too much. She paused in her reverie, a troubling thought creeping into the forefront of her mind. What if no one's missing me at all? What then?

Her train of thought that was slowly morphing into an anxious downhill spiral was interrupted, however, when the tendrils of a purple miasma invaded her nostrils, burning them slightly. The sickly sweet stench that flooded through her senses reeked of decaying flowers. Gradually, the malodor muddled her thoughts, and her actions grew sluggish. Her wings dragged on the ground, as if weighed down by some invisible force. Runa's talons scuffled along the now miasma-covered ground, causing small wisps of purple haze to take to the air around her feet.

Eventually, her determined pace slowed to a wandering crawl as her thoughts were clouded further. Through the haze that now obscured her thoughts, she asked herself sluggishly, wasn't I going somewhere? I swear I had some sort of goal when I started walking.

Shaking off her doubts, Runa continued her peculiar trek through the woods, venturing deeper and deeper through the maze-like tangle of brambles, briars, and dead grass; she had become well and truly lost within the foggy grove.

She continued on her path. By now the fog's influence had even affected her manner of walking, as she now awkwardly stumbled from side to side on her trajectory that led further away from any chance of seeing the sunlight again.

However, Runa was shaken out of her stupor when she staggered over a snarled tree root that had somehow escaped her notice in her clouded mind. Slightly jolted out of her haze, the Swablu regained her footing, but then froze.

Something was there.

Within the slowly drifting purple effluvium, two spots of gold flashed, and an eerie blue shone from beneath one of the golden points of light. To Runa's horror, the points of light moved closer, and she realized those lights were attached to something. That something, that silhouette, floated towards her through the fog, a claw reaching out menacingly as if to snatch her away. Taking a few cautious steps back, Runa paused, paralyzed by fear.

I have to get away from here, she thought, now! With that thought screaming on a loop in her head, she ran. Sprinting clumsily through the shade of the undergrowth, her mind was still clouded by the purple fog's numbing effects.

On and on she fled, not bothering to look back at her pursuer. All she could hear was the continuous rapid beating of her heart, the scratch scratch of the dead grass beneath her feet, and the howl of the wind blowing through the branches above her. Flashes of skeletal trees and and rotting logs flew by her as she sprinted through the wildwood.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she could see sunlight filtering through the branches. That's it! I must be near an entrance! Her spirits lifting at that thought, Runa continued her hurried run through the forest. After much exerted effort, she reached a clearing where the fog had thinned considerably. With the light of the outside world in sight, Runa took one last look behind her, but halted when a pained bestial roar rang through the forest. A distorted electronic buzz followed it not soon afterwards.

Prompted on by the threat of another pursuer, Runa ran on towards the entrance's light. She soon came to a screeching halt, however, when she caught sight of another silhouette that floated near the the forest's entrance. Stopped in her tracks, the avian turned her gaze toward the way she came, only to be flooded with fear at the sight of the clawed silhouette moving ever closer towards her. From another part of the clearing, a new figure emerged in the fog. Unlike the other two silhouettes she had seen, this one was grounded. Seemingly beating one hoof on the ground to charge her, the only visible silver eye of the creature narrowed, as if in concentration. Behind it, the electronic roar tore through the forest once again.

Feeling a shiver run through her, Runa studied her surroundings, violet eyes darting this way and that. There's no way I can take them all on at once. And from what it sounds like, there's at least another one of these things on the way! Turning her attention back to the silhouette at the entrance, she quickly came to a decision. I might be able to charge that one and catch it by surprise if I'm fast enough. I've got nothing to lose. Putting one foot back and another foot forward, she readied her stance in preparation for her escape. Here goes nothing.

One.

The roar grew closer, and the din of trees being uprooted ripped through the clearing.

Two.

The beating of the hoof upon dirt grew louder, signaling the anticipation of the creature's charge at the Swablu.

Three!

Wings outstretched, Runa tore across the clearing, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Soon enough, the forest's damp air gave way to the sun's warmth that now flooded through the thick canopy of branches. Just as Runa was about to reach the forest's end, she collided into a body-a surprisingly rubbery body.

Stumbling back from the impact of hitting another living being, Runa cautiously looked up to gauge what she had hit. She gulped. I'm not sure what to make of this.

A foot or two above her floated a rather dizzy looking Drifloon, a heart-tipped string held up to the top of his head, mostly likely in an attempt to assess the damage.

Okay, I've found another Pokémon, so now what? It's not like I could converse with him, or could I? No, probably not; I'm still pretty much human. Anyways, that's beside the point. I have bigger problems right now. I have to find shelter and food, and sticking around here won't help anything.

Feeling a tad guilty for colliding with a defenseless Drifloon, Runa said to him before she was to head on her way, "Sorry about that, Drifloon. I've just really got to find someone to help me right now." Runa expected no reply to her supposed one-sided conversation. However, she was quite wrong about that assumption.

Gazing at her kindly, the Drifloon opened his mouth to respond, and instead of a Drifloon's usual soft coo, he replied in an upbeat tone, "It's quite alright! Just be careful out there. It can be pretty dangerous in these woods, especially with the beasts and all."

No way. This cannot be happening.

Runa felt a slow sense of disbelief flow through her. Shocked at this sudden turn of events, the Swablu sunk to the ground, beak agape. She simply stared at the Drifloon in abject horror. That Pokémon just talked.