Chapter 3: A Talk at the Café

I just stood there with my mouth slightly agape, watching the bustling town in front of me. It was far livelier than what I expected from a small town made up of purely Pokémon. There were dozens, if not hundreds of Pokémon walking around in the marketplace alone. All different species, types, and sizes. There were even a few bug and flying type Pokémon I saw walking or flying around the area. I couldn't help but be impressed with the sight of the bustling town.

Asher seemed to pick up on my surprise, by the look on his face. He had a proud grin on his face, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I take it you like it?" He asked with a chuckle. "It's not the largest town in the area, but you'll be able to find everything you need here and more"

I felt my face getting red, as I noticed my mouth was hanging open. I promptly shut it, replacing the dumbfound look with a small grin. "I-it is much larger than I expected" I admitted, taking a few steps forward, catching up with my Lucario companion. "It looks like a wonderful place, though. I'm sure I'll enjoy my time here as well"

Asher, pleased with my answer, nodded and walked with me through the marketplace. "Excellent. The first place we'll stop at then is a place by the name of Lily's Café. We can explore the city after you've had a chance to eat. You've had quite the day so far" He commented

I nodded and followed the blue and black fighting type closely as we passed through the marketplace, trying not to lose him as we walked through the crowd. The scent of food hit my nose as we drew deeper into the shopping center. The smell of pastries and other goods filled the air, causing a sharp pang of hunger in my stomach. I was starving all of the sudden. I assumed the scent of the freshly made food made the hunger I felt earlier even worse.

Though, that wasn't the only thing that caught my attention as we passed by several Pokémon. I caught a few of them staring at me as I passed. They didn't seem to be angered by the sight of me or annoyed. Just curious to see a new person, by the looks of it. Still, the feeling of being in the center of attention of a few dozen Pokémon made me slightly uncomfortable.

Their looks didn't seem to escape the notice of Asher either, as he looked down at me with a sympathetic grin. "Sorry about them. Everybody knows everybody in a small town like this. So, when a Gardevoir like you comes through town, it's kind of stands out to them." He explained.

I frowned. I wondered what Asher had meant when he said that. Was there something different about me, when compared to other Gardevoir? Before I had a chance to ask him, we finally passed through the marketplace and stopped in front of a building in the town center.

The building was mostly made out of a white stone, though the stone seemed to be supported by dark planks of wood the outlined the corners of the shop. On a wooden board, with flowers around the edges for décor, a sign at the top of the building read: 'Lily's Café'. Outside the café were four round tables, with two to three seats assigned to each table. Only one table was empty on the outside, with the other tables being taken up by other Pokémon.

"Here we are." Asher said, holding the café door open for me as we walked in. "Order anything you want. It's on me today"

I thanked the Lucario as I passed through the entrance. Taking a quick look around, the café seemed to have a calm, dim atmosphere. The inside of the business had a nature theme to it, from the wooden floors and tables, and the potted plants and flowers dotted across the café. It was lit up by a few candles spread throughout the dining area, with one or two candles assigned to each table. It could've easily been seen as a romantic atmosphere, if not for the several Pokémon casually dining with others. I could only spot one table that could be seen as a couple going out on a date. Though, they could have easily been just two friends going out for some food as well.

In front of us, was a counter, with a board for a menu hanging just above the wooden structure. Behind the counter was a Lilligant, humming to herself as she cleaned a glass cup with a white washcloth. She seemed to notice the two of us walk in shortly after we passed through the door, giving us a bright and friendly smile.

"Welcome! Come on in!" She called out, her eyes lighting up with recognition as she noticed Asher with me. "Ah! Hello there, Asher! How are you doing today, sweetie?" She giggled.

Asher approached the counter, with me trailing closely behind him. "Hey there Lily. Good to see you." He greeted the female Pokémon in front of him before he looked towards me. "Sky, this is Lily. Lily runs the café here in town center." He explained, before turning his attention back the Lily. "Lily, this is Sky, She's ah…. Someone I picked up from my last mission" He finished after a moment's hesitation, struggling what to introduce me as to the café owner.

The Lilligant giggled softly, turning her attention back towards me. "Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sky! Welcome to Aryith! What brings you into town today?" She asked, her voice as bright and happy as it was when she addressed Asher.

"I-it's a pleasure to meet you too." I said, a bit taken aback by how bright and happy the grass type was. Compared to Asher's calm and monotone voice, it was a bit of a surprise to be greeted with such energy. "And…." I started to answer her question, struggling to think of a response right away. "I'm here for some business with the guild" I finally answered, wanting to keep things as vague as possible for now.

Lily didn't seem to mind the vague answer, as she just gave me a bright and happy smile. "I see! Well, you're in good hands with them. They are the pride and joy of this little town~!" She said with a sing-song sort of voice. She put the glass she was cleaning down and leaned on the counter between the two of us. "So! What can I get you two today?"

I froze up. I had no idea what Pokémon ate. Looking at the menu above me, I shifted around in place as I glanced over the board where she had the menu on display. "U-um…" I stuttered out, before noticing an item I recognized "I'll have the grilled cheese meal…" I muttered, "And… the oran berry smoothie." I said with a nod. While I had no idea what sort of smoothie I was getting, I at least had an idea of what my meal was going to be like.

"I'll have an oran berry smoothie as well." Asher chimed in, sliding a stack of gold coins he had pulled from his bag towards the café owner.

"Excellent! Just find a place to sit down, and I'll bring it right over to you!" She said with a friendly wink, turning around shortly afterward to get started on our order.

Asher and I found a place to sit shortly after she took our order, at a table near a window overlooking the town center outside. Before I had a chance to sit down, Asher pulled out my chair for me and gave me a friendly wink. "There you are." He said with a small smile.

I blushed slightly and thanked him, sitting down in my chair. Asher sat across from me; his warm smile still noticeable on his face. The Lucario seemed to be rather chivalrous, a fact that I couldn't help but admire in the fighting type.

"So, how do you like Aryith so far?" He asked, leaning back in his chair as he placed his arms on the table between us. "I know we still haven't seen much of the town, but I'll admit, I am curious to hear what your first impressions are."

I took a small glance outside the window, leaning back in my seat as well. With my hands resting on my new dress, I watched the Pokémon pass by the store before answering. The sight of seeing walking and talking Pokémon was still strange to me, but I was slowly starting to get used to it. After all, I was a Pokémon now too. "I… like it." I stated. "It seems like a lovely place. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it." I said, looking back at Asher with a small smile on my face.

"Happy to hear it. I'll have to show you more of the town after we get you situated here." He said, his smile growing slightly upon hearing my impression of the town.

I looked down at myself, not saying much for a few moments. The white dress that was now part of me was spread slightly on the wooden floor of the café, and my red spike was still jutting out of my chest. That was still a sight I wasn't still used to seeing just yet.

The guilt of lying to Asher about my memory slowly crept back into my mind. Asher seemed to be a truly kind individual; from the few hours, I had known him so far. He had done so much for me in that short amount of time, and here I was not being completely honest with him.

I knew I had to tell him the truth. About me being a human before I woke up in Whispering Cave, and about the few memories I had from when I was still human. He deserved to know that much about me. He may also know the reason behind the reason why I turned into a Gardevoir in the first place. It was a long shot, but I had no other ideas on how I was going to get to the bottom of this transformation.

"Asher I…. haven't been completely honest with you." I admitted in a hushed voice, my eyes transfixed on the floor below. I couldn't meet him in the eyes. "I do remember something about myself. Before I woke up in that cave"

"Oh?" The Lucario said. His voice didn't seem to change to an angry one. It was as if he knew I was hiding something all along. "What do you remember, Sky?"

I took a deep breath. This was the hard part. "I'm…. human." I said slowly, still refusing to look up at Asher. "Before I woke up in Whispering Cave, I was at my home as a human. I just… went to bed after visiting with a friend after work. When I woke up, I was in that cave, where we met. As a Gardevoir." I whispered, finally working up the courage to look back up at him, meeting his scarlet eyes once again.

Asher was leaning forward in his seat, elbows on the table and paws to his mouth. His eyes were narrowed at me as if he was studying me. I couldn't tell if it was out of his newfound mistrust for me, or something else behind that look of his.

"I'm sorry." I whispered again, shaking nervously in my seat. "I was worried you would think I'm… delusional if I told you that when we first met."

Seconds passed, without him saying a word. All he did was stare at me, with his sharp eyes narrowed at me. I was about to speak up again before lean leaned back in his seat.

"Hm… A human?" He chuckled. "I could tell by the way you were acting back at the cave that you were hiding something from me. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting it to be that." He smiled. "But I believe you." He said in a kind tone of voice.

I stared at him in shock. I had expected him to laugh at me, or tell me I was crazy. The last thing I expected was for him to believe my story. "Y-you do?" I asked. "But… why?"

Asher leaned back in his seat, his paws returning to his lap. "I have the ability to see a Pokémon's aura. An ability special to Lucario." He went on to explain. "It allows me to read emotions, in a sense. So, I can tell when a person is being sincere or not." He smiled "When I read your aura, I knew you were telling me the truth"

I let out a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted off of my shoulders. I was happy to hear the Lucario trust my word, even if it did mean he had to look into my aura at first. "So, when you were staring at me just then…?"

Asher nodded. "Yes, I was reading your aura. I had to make sure if you were telling me the truth, or if you believed the claim, you were telling me." He said with a small smile. "Humans becoming Pokémon are exceptionally rare, but not completely unheard of." He explained. "It was only around a century ago when a human and his partner saved the planet from a meteor that was about to crash into our world. I believe that human had turned into a Pikachu if the stories are true." He chuckled.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of me not being the only human to experience something like this. Even if this did happen a century before I arrived here, there was a strange comfort to knowing that I wasn't the first one to be put in a situation like this. "Well…. I guess that's a comforting thought, to know I'm not the only human to be turned into a Pokémon." I giggled. "I don't think I'm capable of stopping a meteor or any disaster like that, though."

"Well, the human and his partner had a bit of help from a legendary Pokémon. I don't think that a little Pikachu could've stopped something like that on his own." Asher said with a small laugh. "And don't worry. There aren't any world-ending tragedies that are coming up that I'm aware of" He winked.

I laughed softly along with him, feeling more comfortable around him now that I had told him the truth. "That's good to know." I said, now resting my arms on the table. "Are… there any humans around today, that you know of?" I asked. If any humans turned into Pokémon were around today, maybe they would know the reason why I was brought here.

Asher shook his head. "I'm afraid not. If there are any humans around today, they haven't made themselves known publicly." He answered. "As I said before, humans coming to our world as Pokémon is exceptionally rare. As far as I know, there haven't been more than one human turned Pokémon on our world at a time." He said, speaking up again after noticing my expression falling slightly due to disappointment. "That doesn't mean that there aren't any out there, though. Who knows? You may just bump into one while you're here." He reassured me.

"Still, I wouldn't advise you to tell others that you're human. There's a belief in this world that if a human comes to our world, it's a sign that a disaster is about to strike." He warned me. "Even if there have been cases of humans showing up in our world without disasters coming along with them, Pokémon around here may grow nervous if word gets out about another human arriving in our world. It's best to keep that information to yourself."

I nodded. I wasn't planning on telling others about being a human, anyways. I had only told Asher since I had the feeling that I could trust him after all he did for me. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Lily came by with our food shortly afterward, placing a blue smoothie in front of me, with a grilled cheese sandwich on a white plate. She placed a similar looking smoothie in front of Asher shortly afterward, giving us a wink. "Let me know if you two need anything else, loves~"

The two of us thanked her as she left, before starting on our meals. I first took a sip of my smoothie, curious to know what this oran berry smoothie tasted like. It was bitter and cold. Though I normally disliked the taste of bitter food, this smoothie was an exception. I felt energized after just one sip, and the exhaustion from our trek through the cave and woods was instantly gone. I took another sip before setting the glass down and moving on to the grilled cheese.

Asher had taken a sip of his smoothie as well. Though he still looked a little roughed up from the fight with the thieves, he did look refreshed upon tasting his drink. "What do you think? I'm sure it's different than anything humans are used to eating. But this is the food we normally eat around town here."

"It's great!" I quickly replied, the taste of the grilled cheese feeling familiar to the taste I was used to as a human. "That smoothie is very refreshing. I feel amazing after just a small sip from that." I pointed out, taking another drink from my smoothie.

"That would be due to the oran berry." Asher pointed out, watching me drink the smoothie. "Rescue teams, like the ones that work in the guild here, often use oran berries to heal up after battles." He chuckled. "They're very useful berries."

I nodded, finishing off half of my sandwich. Now that the atmosphere was less tense since we moved on from the subject of me being a human, I decided to ask him about the comment about me he made in the marketplace. "So… back when we were heading through town, and you said that the Pokémon here weren't used to seeing a Gardevoir like myself." I said, crossing my legs under my dress. "What did you mean by that? Am I different than other Gardevoir you've seen?"

A light blush appeared on Asher's cheeks, as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I… suppose I did say that, didn't I?" He said, acting a little embarrassed. "I didn't mean to say you were different from other Gardevoir, nor did I mean to suggest that. I'm sorry if you took it in that manner."

"Then… what did you mean by that?" I asked, running my hand through my long green hair, straightening it out slightly.

Asher's blush grew. He glanced to the side, not meeting me in the eyes as he responded. "Er… well…" he stuttered out. "I guess there's no way else to put this. What I meant back there was…. You're a very attractive Gardevoir. A sight like yourself would draw some attention in a small town like this." He sighed, his red eyes meeting mine again as he confessed to me.

I felt my cheeks grow to a bright shade of red. Did Asher just tell me he found me attractive? It was strange to hear that from someone, let alone a Lucario. I wasn't quite sure what to say at first. I had never had someone tell me they found me attractive.

Looking at Asher in the dim lighting of the café, my heart started to race a bit more. Asher was certainly a handsome Lucario. He was physically attractive, a fact I never really paid much attention to until now. He had a rugged, serious look that could make a woman swoon, and his sharp red eyes were equally as striking. It was a strange feeling, finding a Lucario to be handsome. And yet, I couldn't help but fall for him somewhat, in this setting.

Before I knew it, I leaned forward and gave him a rather flirtatious wink. Acting on instinct, I whispered back to him. "Well, thanks~" I cooed. "You're rather easy on the eyes yourself~"

I'm not sure what came over me then. I wasn't the type of person to be flirtatious, especially around a man that I thought was cute. But at that moment, I had just moved and spoke to him without thinking about my actions. It was a strange feeling.

As I winked, a small pink heart floated out towards the Lucario, swiftly hitting him in the face. Upon impact, the heart burst into several other hearts, which all floated away and disappeared shortly afterward. Asher had flinched as the heart raced towards him, causing him to close his eyes as the pink heart hit him.

I had sinking feeling in my gut, as I knew right away what I had done. Those feelings were confirmed as Asher opened his eyes back up, the sharp red color in them replaced by a bright pink. I had used attract on the Lucario.

"Wow, Sky…. You look… breathtaking" He breathed out, his gaze softened to an affectionate one, as he leaned in closer across the table. "How did I not notice it before...?"

Normally, a cute guy complimenting me in such a manner would've made me freeze up, or stumble over my words. But I only felt the guilt creep up on me even more as the Lucario sweet-talked me. "Oh, Asher! I'm so sorry! I had no idea I knew that move!" I gasped, sitting up in my chair, pulling away from the lovestruck Lucario.

"What's there to be sorry about? You haven't done anything wrong" Asher chuckled, gripping my hand with both of his paws. "I should be the one apologizing, for not complimenting on your beauty earlier~"

The feeling of his paws around my hand…. Now that got my heart racing. I felt the blush on my cheeks rise again, as the handsome Lucario swooned over me, confessing his feelings towards me.

I knew that if the other patrons inside the café noticed I had used attract on Asher, they would likely think I was up to no good with the Lucario. I had to get out of there until the attract attack stopped its effect on the fighting type. Gripping his paw, I pulled him away from the table, and out towards the door, praying that no one would notice the pink glow in his eyes.

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice our sudden departure to the town center other than Lily. She was back behind the counter we met her at, washing some dishes. She called out a quick "Come back soon!" before the door slammed behind us, with me pulling the Lucario along behind me to a more secluded area.

That's it for chapter 3! A lot more was supposed to happen during this chapter, but I didn't want this one to go on for too long~!

But now we know two of Sky's moves now! Moonblast, and now attract! More of her moves will be revealed later on in the story, but I thought this was a fun way to introduce one of her attacks~!

Chapter 4 is in the works right now! I can't say when it will be uploaded, but I'll try to finish it up here soon! I'll see you then~!

Cover art was commissioned by iamthevoidsmelody on Instagram. Please go and support the artist!

The characters belong to me. Please do not use the characters in this story without my permission. Thank you