"Get Chloe! I think he's coming around!" a voice yelled. Rowan grimaced at the sound. A terrible headache dominated his mind. The last thing he could remember was the bitter cold seeping into his bones. While he could still feel it, it no longer bothered him. In fact, it was almost pleasant to him.
Rowan rolled over and coughed. His body ached and felt lethargic to boot. He reached out as he opened his eyes, expecting to be able to grab something to help him up. Blue paws stretched out before him instead. Confused, he wondered who they belonged to. He stared at them wordlessly for a moment before a voice beside him caught his attention.
"Hey buddy hold up, you aren't ready to go anywhere yet."
Looking over, he saw something that shocked and terrified him to his core. A large snake-like creature stood over him with vines sprouting from the base of its yellow collar. Deep crimson eyes were transfixed on him almost menacingly. Something within him snapped as primal fear took root within him.
"aaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Rowan screamed in pure, unadulterated terror.
He tried to take off, but he only crashed into the ground below where he had been laying. Looking up at the crystalline tree, he stared in disbelief at his own reflection before looking at his own paws, only realizing now that they belonged to him. He had become some sort of animal! Screaming, he tried to stand and run again but this time the snake was prepared. Quickly the vines wrapped themselves around his body and lifted him into the air.
Rowan squirmed with all his might, his shrieking completely incomprehensible to himself and the snake. Neither of them noticed the room increased in the number of occupants until the snake wrapped a vine around his mouth, silencing him for the moment. Rowan continued squirming desperately to get free.
"Felix! What the hell are you doing?" another voice yelled out. From his position, Rowan couldn't see who or what was talking; the most he could tell was that it belonged to a girl.
"Nothing! The guy just woke up and lost it!" Felix yelled back, irritated. "He tried to run, so I grabbed him."
"Well good job!" The voice replied angrily. "You're terrorizing a victim!"
"Drop him ya scabby scrote!" another voice chimed in. "If ya ruin our deal with Team Cosmic, I'll have yer hide!"
"Jeez, fuck, fine." The snake replied irritably. Rowan cried out, still gagged by Felixs' vine, as he felt himself swaying in the air as the snake deposited him back onto the smooth floor of the crystal trees hollow. As the room whipped around him, Rowan managed to get a fleeting glimpse of the others in the doorway. His eyes widened in amazement as he stared at Felix, finally realizing what he truly was. Heart beating a mile a minute, he stared in wonder at the Servine before him. For a moment he had thought he had reawoken to a new nightmare filled with monsters but instead everything felt like a bizarre dream come true to him.
Was this real? Was he dreaming? An extremely specific hallucination? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the blizzard. For all he knew, his brain could just be dying and this was what he was seeing before the end finally came but something didn't seem right to part of him felt compelled to believe what he saw to be his new reality.
Through the crystalline walls he watched as a blue shape approached the hollows entrance while Felix stalked away to the wall of the room, leaning against it. The Servine shot him a dirty look before he did so.
"Well I didn't exactly make a good first impression." Rowan thought to himself. He tensed up as the blue figure drew closer.
"Rowan?" a feminine voice gently called.
He felt his heart skip a beat when he heard his own name used. Between his own screaming and being bound and gagged, how did she learn his name? He instinctively backed against the wall of the tree's hollow.
"H-how do you know my name?" He asked, stuttering heavily. The Pokémon slowly stepped closer.
"My name is Chloe. You told us your name when we found you. Don't you remember?"
"No," Rowan meekly replied. "Where am I?
His breath caught in his throat when Chloe turned the corner. She was a Glaceon! An honest to god Glaceon! His eyes went wide in combination of surprise and disbelief.
"Impossible…" he breathed. Chloe blinked, confused by his reaction.
"I'm sorry, have we met?"
"I…uh…no," Rowan stammered. "I…just uh… Have no idea what's g-going on."
Chloe entered the hollow and sat on her haunches, giving him a reassuring smile. The pokémon was clearly a shiny as far as he knew but, he noticed through a reflection behind her, her diamond pattern on her back was different than he remembered in the games.
The next reflection he noticed was his own and he suddenly came to the realization that he had become a pokémon as well. Arching his neck to get a better look at his own fur, Rowan took in the absolute madness that was his pelt. Shades of blue he had never thought possible adorned him, giving it an almost hypnotic appeal as each blue tendril crept along his back. His "crown" was steeped in a deep blue that seemed to almost trap the light inside it, reflecting its radiance within itself.
"You're somewhere safe" Chloe said softly as she slowly scooted forward, trying to close the distance without freaking him out further. "Just relax, breathe. Okay?"
Rowan chuckled a bit. He had a million questions and zero answers, but that didn't matter. The only thing on his mind was the fact he was a Glaceon now. If it were a dream, he wished he would never wake up. If it wasn't, even better. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to center himself. Chloe seemed to approve, nodding slightly as Rowan listened to her.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Chloe asked.
Rowan scratched his head with his paw before stopping and stared at it. The very thought of even having paws to begin with amused and satisfied him immensely. A small cough brought his attention back to the pokemon in front of him. Chloe looked at him expectantly, but otherwise remained patient with him.
"Sorry, this is gonna take some getting used to…" Rowan apologized. "The last thing I remember was…"
"Oi! Is the drama queen done throwin' his hissy fit?" a voice called out. "Time's a factor here, lass!."
Chloe rolled her eyes as sighed.
"One moment, Rowan."
He nodded as he watched her poke her head out and stare down the others outside the tree. After a few seconds of awkward silence, through the distorted walls, Rowan could make out their shapes leaving the room and could hear the door shut behind them. The only three left in the large room were Chloe, Felix and himself.
"That glare of yours could stop a herd of bouffalant in their tracks, you know." Felix chuckled loudly. Chloe ignored his jab at her, instead returning her attention to Rowan.
Based on what he had seen so far, Rowan wasn't sure who he could trust as of yet. Whatever pokemon was yelling about him, as well as insulting him, seemed more interested in his worth as an asset rather than his well-being. His first impression of Felix was to be desired at best and there was no telling what the others were like.
"Anyway," Chloe huffed before regaining her friendly demeanor. "Sorry about that, you were saying?"
"I uh… what was the question?" Rowan asked, stalling as he frantically tried to come up with a believable story. The entire situation was beyond bizarre.
"Oh," Chloe frowned. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"I remember… fire," Rowan started slowly. "I remember a blizzard coming in and getting caught up in it…"
Chloes' ear twitched as he spoke. He didn't want to outright lie if he could help it but he couldn't see an alternative.
"Sorry, I... can't remember anything else..."
"I see." Chloe nodded.
If his lack of meaningful answers disappointed her, Chloe didn't show it. Undeterred, she continued her questioning. Rowan oddly felt like he was under some sort of suspicion.
"Why were you in Bitterbark Forest?" Chloe asked.
"I...don't remember that either." Rowan lied. He felt guilty for deceiving her, but until he knew more about where he was and what this new world was like, he couldn't afford to take any chances.
"Then what do you remember?" Chloe asked gently. Rowan fidgeted with his paws for a moment, hesitant to answer.
"I remember my name," Rowan meekly answered as he lowered his head. "I...can't seem to remember anything else."
"I see..." Chloe mumbled as she stood up. "For now, get some rest. We can't very well let you roam around if you really are an amnesiac."
"Wait, am I a prisoner?" Rowan asked worriedly. "What did I do?"
"Nothing that we know of," Chloe replied. The Glaceon stepped out of the hollow and looked back at him. "However, until we are sure you're not a danger to yourself or others, I can't in good conscience let you roam about as you please. So no, you're not a prisoner of any sort; it's just temporary."
Rowan wanted to argue further, but knew he had no grounds to push the issue. He had already lied to her just moments ago after all. If he wanted his freedom, he would have to cooperate for now. Besides, if things went south, he could always try to escape if he absolutely had to. With all he had gone through the past few days, being safe where he was had worn him down and he could use some proper rest.
"W-well, alright" Rowan quietly agreed, nodding. "I'll do as you say for the time being."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Chloe replied with a smile. "Someone will be in soon with some food and medicine if you need it."
Rowan sat quietly as he watched her leave. Felix shortly followed suit after her but not before giving him another dirty look. With a deep breath, Rowan ignored the snake and gazed at his own reflection again. He could still barely believe this was real. If he were to get by with this new body, he needed to get used to it quickly.
"Well alright… let's see how walking works with four legs."