The last leg of the trek to the town went a little easier as the light started to fade and painted the field in a tint of orange.
As we had walked, the pichu had introduced himself as Polo and continued on to ask me my own. I had to think about it since I couldn't immediately recall it. In the end I vaguely remembered being called to by the name Tiana.
When I told Polo that I had never been to this area before, he was a little surprised, then proceeded to bombard me with questions. I had to deflect and ask him what the name of his home town here was.
"Well, I hope you'll like Great Oak. I've lived here all my life with my sister." he says with a bounce in his step and a chipper tone.
I don't feel quite as energetic myself so I just settle for a thumbs up which seems to confuse him.
"What's that mean, Tiana?" he says with his head tilting a little to the side, ears twitching.
I stop walking and turn to face him a little, just ahead of us on the path is an archway made from two carved logs and two long planks nailed to their tops.
With a quick shrug I answer, "Oh, it just means 'good' or 'okay' depending on the context, I forgot not everyone has thumbs."
Recognition lights up in his eyes before he grins, "Awesome!" then turns and begins to bounce his way through the arches.
The entrance honestly dwarfs us, probably so taller and wider pokemon can pass through safely.
As we make our way inside, the hard packed earth turns into smoothed flagstone, which looks to be heavily weathered from years of being used. Looking up I can see a large open area ahead behind some thatch roofed wood and stone structures.
We pass narrower side streets that curve around and away from us which gives me the sense that this place is structured in rings growing out from the central area, perhaps just a result of adding onto a town for a few generations.
"I hope my sister is back from her job, I'd really like to introduce you two." says Polo, glancing back and forth as we start to pass the last ring of buildings.
The center of the town is spacious and clean, in true center is a water feature, a pool of water and carefully tended plants growing out of the earth around the foundation of the pool.
The buildings here look mostly like shop fronts and many of them are closed likely due to how close to sunset it is. Though a few still seem to be open and trading with pokemon.
I'm starting to get the feeling that this entire town is built by and used by pokemon, nowhere have I seen any hints of humans being present, even the houses seem a little too oddly proportioned for a human.
"This way Tiana!" calls that boyish voice again.
I quickly catch up to Polo and we make our way over to a somewhat less bombastic structure, a sign on the outside has strange hieroglyphs on it, though I recognise the green cross on it.
Polo pushes open the front door which seems to be separated into different heights, likely to accommodate different sized pokemon with different levels of strength, he holds the door ajar for me and I step inside.
The first thing I became aware of is that the air in here is perfectly temperate, it had been starting to get chilly outside so when I passed the threshold, the change was noticeable.
The second thing? An Ivysaur coming to greet us.
"Polo, you little rascal, what are you doing here so late, you should be at home. If your sister knew you were out at this time she'd certainly be most upset."
Her voice is gentle yet has a firm undertone with the pichu, though her attention wasn't solely on Polo himself, she continues to glance over at me as I wobble a little on my feet.
The pichu seems a little uncomfortable at that but seems to quickly get over it as well, "Well… Um you see Miss Piperita, I went into the shaded woods to pick some berries for my sister. A pokemon attacked me not far in… Tiana here saved me and helped me get away but she got hurt when we were running away."
The ivysaur, Miss Piperita, turns to face me now. Honestly it's a little intimidating… like when I was in the presence of that venonat… the size difference makes me feel really small in a much less physical way than I actually am.
Thankfully ivysaurs are lower to the ground and quadrupedal so I don't have to necessarily look up at her.
"This little treecko was hurt?" she hums for a moment before moving deftly around Polo to look at me.
I can't help but lean back a bit and feel very self conscious, she's so close now that I can smell the fragrance of the flower budding on her back.
Without even asking permission, she sits on her haunches and begins to use her forelegs to examine me, at first I tense up and nearly cry out in alarm until she preemptively shushes me.
"Hold still, little one." I grimace at the indignity of that but do as she tells me to.
After a few moments she stops handling me and nods her head, "Tiana was it? A peculiar name, it's rare to see your kind in a place like this too." She stands up and ambles through the cozy room and through a curtain at the back.
I stand awkwardly, rubbing my left arm slowly as Polo looks at me apologetically, "Miss Piperita might be a bit um… firm but she's the best healer in town!"
As nice as it is to know that I'm being seen by someone with experience, it doesn't make me any less self conscious in the presence of the ivysaur.
She returns, a vine holding what looks like a tiny flask made of metal.
"Now, normally I'd charge a fee for this kind of thing, little treecko, but since you looked out for one of our new generations at the cost of your own welfare… I'm happy to do this as payment. The mix is bitter but it will soothe your pain and speed up your recovery."
The vine lowers and stops within arms reach of me, I reach out and take the metal flask, practically a vial with how small it is. Pulling the cork out with two fingers I suddenly get a whiff of how bitter the concoction really is.
"Drink every drop, I'll need the vial back as metalwork like that is expensive." Pepirita says, standing firm and watching me.
With a nervous twitch of my tail, I bring the vial to my mouth and open wide enough to empty the contents in. There's just enough liquid inside to help the poultice slip free and splat onto my tongue.
It is so incredibly bitter that I nearly recoil in shock at the taste on my tongue alone. Then I remember her calling me 'little' and feeling the indignation rising back up again, I close my mouth and force myself to swallow the entire thing down.
It travels like molasses and isn't pleasant at all… but generally medicine isn't the nicest thing to consume is it…?
I offer the vial back to Piperita and she takes it gently in a vine, an impressed smile gracing her reptilian face. "I'm surprised you managed to get it down so quickly, most others your age struggle for some time."
A rough gag stops me from responding right away, but when my throat calms down I manage to get out, "My age? I'm easily three times older than Polo."
At least, I hope I am based on how he acts and sounds.
"To me, you're all little ones, I've seen three generations in this little town under the tree, I'll likely see three more in my life." the ivysaur says with what I can only assume is a shrug based on her expression.
"At any rate, Tiana. You should spend the next day or so resting, as little physical activity as you can manage please, or the poultice won't be as effective."
The fact she uses my name this time makes me calm down a bit and I nod. "Okay, that makes sense… is there somewhere I can stay…? I don't have any money."
Polo jumps in at this point, his red cheeks sparking just a little likely from excitement, "You can stay at my place. I'm sure my sister won't mind since you helped me today!"
"A splendid idea Polo, you live in the ring just outside town center so it isn't far to walk." The ivysaur faces me again and nods her head, "I didn't say this earlier, but thank you for helping young Polo, it means a lot to me and I'm sure to his sister."
I awkwardly wave a hand and turn away slightly, "Uh it was nothing… anyone would have done it in the same situation."
At that point I don't get to hear what Piperita might have responded with because Polo is grabbing my arm and tugging, "Come on Tiana, let's go before it's totally dark!"