Disclaimer: I do not own any of the properties that will be mentioned or explored in this story. They are all owned by individuals with a lot more clout than I do. I do not make, nor intend to make any money off this story. It is a fanfic that is for fun and to get myself out there, and not for profit. That is all on the matter.

This is rated as Mature.

Content Warning - As a content warning, there is strong language, strong violence/gore and other potential dark themes including abuse, substance abuse, self-harm/suicide, and possible suggestive themes (although the last one will be avoided if possible). I will provide updates and warnings well in advance both here and in a separate post.

Spoilers - There are unmarked spoilers for the Mystery Dungeon Series, including nods towards other games, especially Generation VII and VIII content. If you want to avoid spoilers on these, now would be the time to turn back.

Chapter Fic - This fic will be divided into chapters as expected, but they were also be compiled into episodes/books, to help compile said chapters into contained packages.

Note from the Author: Alright, this is only my second time writing a fanfic, and my first go at writing a Pokémon fic as well. Feel free to go ahead and rip parts of this to shreds, or in other words feel free to give criticism as you see fit within the bounds of 's rules. I will aim to try and get updates to these posts within around a week if I can. I do have several chapters on hand that need formatting and uploading here. Do note I am actively employed, I run a large RP and am currently working on awaiting responses for my first novel and have started work on a short story, so I can't guarantee rapid replies. I will get round to those updates as soon as possible. Any feedback would be really appreciated!

Also, as a warning. This series will get dark at times. Sure, there are a few laughs and heart-warming moments, but it is a dark setting compared to regular PMD.

Now, without further ado…

And so… it begins.

Come with me, if you will 'Observer'. For you are about to enter a new world. One of many. It's a peaceful world, where individuals of many different species come together… to work together… for the betterment of all.

Now… I imagine… we should start with a quick personality quiz?

Something chuckles in the darkness…

I'm joking.

That something now sighed…

I shouldn't in truth. It's not that simple. This world has often teetered so close to the edge so many times that… its inhabitants have changed somewhat. They aren't as kind or as noble as they had been decades ago or even just a couple of years. Of course, some do hold onto those ideals of old. Try and help people or make new discoveries… but it is not an easy path. Even before the calamities it has been like this but now… it's been slowly made even worse as the distrust and anger slowly bubbles to the surface. Every time this world comes closer together, it breaks apart just as quickly. There has been too much strain… and pain that its inhabitants have suffered.

Would you be surprised that these inhabitants were Pokémon?

Do not forget, these are living beings. And they are not the Pokémon you may remember.

Or perhaps you do remember? The way they arrive has always been shrouded in some kind of mystery until the end and even when the answers are revealed… it's never been entirely consistent.

Something brings you here. Are you here by choice? Or are you lost on this world?

Hmm… until you find that answer, please, come with me. Follow my voice. You may sense me only as a presence, at the corner of your spirit… but in truth I'm not actually with you. I am elsewhere in this world, working at unraveling a truth that has evaded me for so long.

But I will watch you all from a distance. To the best of my ability. I can promise you that.

Don't be afraid. None of you alone.

…I see… you can sense their arrival. Another one… I figured the world was reaching another period of danger… I cannot make certain of who they are or what they may become… or even what they are here for. However, this cannot be a coincidence.

We will have to find that truth at another time. Stay close to them. But don't get too close… you don't want them to lose their mind.

Trust me… I know…

And who knows? Maybe there will be more to this world... and beyond... that meets the eye…

Always Audacity

Chapter I - Wake Up

Initially, he could only see darkness. It was all he knew. Just this inescapable, unknowable blackness.

Then, slowly, little by little, the light began to appear before him. Constantly shifting and evolving, flowing almost like water. The reds shifted into oranges, then yellows and so forth. His mind wandered, wondering what he had to have had in order to get such a vision. Something in the water maybe, he imagined. Then again, his body didn't feel sore.

Wait… I've just woken up… how do I know what water and a body feels like? Wait… yeah, of course I know what a body is… I should have one!

No, scratch that, this was worse… he couldn't feel his body at all. Legs, limbs, head… and yet… he still had senses… at least partially anyway. He could see these colours, obviously. And he could hear a faint hum that almost sounded oddly… rhythmic.

Okay… is this… some kind of dodgy dream?

Even without his body, he could sense himself moving… somehow… forwards. No… he was being pulled onwards. It was strange, he couldn't physically move… if he even had a body at this point. Maybe he was just dreaming. But… where was he sleeping? In a house? Had to be. He tried to imagine having an actual arm… and yet… nothing happened.

The colours wavered before him, and a very faint star seemed to blink into view before him. Growing that little bit brighter… that bit bigger.

Am… maybe this is me waking up… weird way of doing it...

And with that, the star began to blink. Hang on… what's this…

"Hello?" came a quiet voice, "Can… can you hear me?".

He felt a strange warmth run through him… compelling him to move further on… H-Hi? I can… what's going on? Is this some dodgy dream or something?

There was a moment of silence, the little star ceasing to blink for a moment, before it started again… "You can? Great! Listen… I don't have much time…"

The voice wavered for a moment… and with that… he began to feel drowsy… the light and the colours seeming to dim before him. "Oh no… listen to me! You need to save…"

What? I… I can't hear you… I'm… His thoughts began to blur together, the lights now fading away, the hum ceasing… the star the only thing left he could even see. "Please! All of this… it needs saving…

Save… save what… He could sense himself slipping away. I… can't…

"You need t-"

The light faded away… and he slowly… so did he…

"Sam!-"

He moaned as he slowly come to, feeling his body ache in protest. He snapped his eyes open, only to cry out as the light flashed onto his retinas. Nearly blinded, he squeezed them tight again. Was he under attack? No… he could feel the warmth soak through his skin.

The Sun? Yeah, has to be… just like… wait...

…

When did I last feel sunlight?

Hang on… did he even know his name?

"Sam!-"

He shivered… that voice… they had called him…

Sam?

The memory rushed through him… and with that it clicked. Sam… my name is Sam! Damn, glad I know that at least!

Sam opened his eyes again, much more carefully this time. Thankfully, instead of being blinded, he slowly gained a blurry view of the world... he could just make out trees around him and blue skies above him. His other senses started to emerge. He felt himself curled up on his side, could smell the fresh grass he was on... and heard the sound of leaves rustling peacefully in the wind and the light trickle of flowing water.

Water.

A faint itch worked its way through Sam's throat, forcing him to take a sudden breath in surprise.

Damn... how long had he been out?

If he had even been out at all?

His arms even more blurry than the trees around him, he slowly pushed himself up to his hands and knees. His eyes flickered around and settled on the familiar shape of a pool of water. Vision be damned, he could at least tell that.

Grunting, he crawled over to the pool and, without delay, scooped up some of the water in his hands and gulped it down, feeling the cool water that spilled out drip down his chest.

Damn... seriously, how long was it since he last drank?

He blinked as he stared down at his hands... they remained blurred, but he could make out they were some kind of gloves... completely white and... wait... they were very small...

What did he even look like?

Splashing his face with a handful of water, Sam wiped his face clean and with a quick shake of his head, focused his gaze at his hands and at last, his vision began to clear.

Sam's hands drifted back into view, white and… covered in fur… hang on… that can't be right… he was… he…

I'm human…

And with that, his vision cleared entirely. He realised they weren't hands… they were paws with three little digits. Wait… huh?

He dropped the paws, and with that, he could see what looked like… a weird rabbit staring back at him from the water. Covered almost entirely in white fur… save for a little patch of orange across its nose, a flash of reddish orange on the tops of its ears, and finally a pair of eyes with bright orange irises…

Its mouth dropped open, showing a pair of brilliant white buck teeth. "What?"

That was when Sam realised it… That's… that's…

He sprung upright, paws snapping up to his chest, digits running through his fur and past his ears as the instinctively flicked aside. It can't be…

"I'm a bloody Scorbunny!? What the flying…" he stumbled back, crying out as fell back onto his backside. He panted, trying to bring his heart rate down, his breathing under control. "H-How? I'm human! Now I'm a Pokémon? How's that supposed to…"

His voice trailed off… This can't be right... it can't be...

Slowly, he crawled back forward towards the water's edge. And once more found the reflection of that Scorbunny… of him… Sam… staring back up at him… "I…" he fell silent. All he could do was simmer in the simple, plain fact of reality that happened to be staring straight back at him...