The knock at the door intensified. I stopped telekinetically rolling pencils, trying to search their mind for hostility.

Outside, the hum of human military vehicles could be heard in the town. I'd seen them; squat things with numerous wheels and weapons mounted on top, like oversized octillery covered with a tyranitar's metallic armor.. This time, they were a constant presence of reinforced steel. I'd seen the humans that operated these things; grim-faced and stoic, radiating a nobility and purity in their purpose when I briefly delved into their minds.

Yet, every time I looked at them, I sensed they clinging aura of misery they sowed on lands they once walked. Unlike the Galactic grunts I had fought, who reeked of malevolence, they were normal.

That was another reminder that where I was, it wasn't Sinnoh. This particular town was named 'Keswick' and it bordered the lake of Derentwater which I now called home. Lake Valor it was not, but it would have to do.

The rumbling stopped, and somewhere, a hatch hissed open, followed by the door of the building and room I was in. A human in military gear poked his head around the door. He was unarmed and dressed in only the simple uniform I had seen his kind wear.

"Sir - are you Azelf?" He swallowed before continuing. "Sergeant Bradford wishes to see you. You'll find him in the ranger station lobby."

"Ah, at once." I dropped the pencil and pulled open the door with telekinetic force.

The soldier looked at me. "You should ask around for him. Have you met him before?"

"No, I haven't."

"I will lead you to him, then. Follow me."

The soldier led me out to a group of eight men in the same military uniform he wore, all clutching guns. That was a shock; I knew this world was heavily militarized compared to home, but I had no idea the people of this world would openly bring such weapons indoors. Most humans back home only did that when they intended to cause harm. One of them turned to see me. From a brief scan of his mind and his aura, it was clear he was an experienced leader.

"Hello, Azelf! I am Sergeant Bradford. Welcome." He extended a hand towards me, which I took.

Bradford stared at his hand, finding it encased in my psychic energy. "Huh," he said. "Guess you are a psychic." Clearing his throat, he continued, "The reason why I sent for you is because I want you to be a liaison between the Pokemon and the humans in this town."

I just stared at him.

"Yes, you heard me correctly." He relaxed his grip on his gun. "We're short on manpower and vehicles to fight off hostile Pokemon. Until reinforcements show up, that's where you come in."

"I understand, Sergeant."

"Alright!" Bradford shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "We'll get you set up, next time one of us speaks to you, adress us by title.'. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" The power of my telepathic reply caused Bradford to stiffen slightly, but he regained his composure and continued.

"Follow me, please." He led his men – and me – to a nearby table. While they took seats, I remained levitating.

I paused to properly compose my thoughts. "What will this. . . position entail?"

"I am glad you asked. Firstly, any Pokemon that my men – or any other squad – bring in will be brought to you. You will help translate for us, and establish communications between the residents of Kenswick - this means its citizens and my soldiers - and any Pokemon we bring in."

I frowned at Bradford's words. Translation work? Any psychic type 'mon could do that. Before I could transmit my reply, he continued,

"It may seem odd for me to ask a legendary Pokemon to do this sort of work, when your domain demands things far more pressing. We are quite short on manpower at the moment, having only five-hundred soldiers total. This includes me and my squad here. As such, venturing out too far risks us encountering hostile Pokemon." Whatever he said afterwards was known only as muttering. "I take it you have taken up residence in Derwentwater Lake?"

I gave a quick nod.

"Great! I now need to ask for something from you for return." He took a deep breath. "I, and some of my counterparts in the British Royal Navy, have chosen to run boat patrols in and around Derwentwater, as well as the other lakes surrounding Kenswick."

"Why?" Did Bradford not completely trust me? I had scanned his mind and was fairly certain he meant no harm. On the other hand, he did bring eight armed men to this meeting – men who were honed in their craft of fighting, enough to pose a threat to most Pokemon. Even if I could take out the entire group, it would be at great cost.

Bradford gave my reply little notice, continuing, "We are curious about the Pokemon that have come to inhabit our world's lakes and oceans in the past weeks. You are one of these Pokemon we have included. We are also interested in minimizing casualties in the town – such that we request permission to put armed guards around the lake."

"How many?" I replied.

Bradford smiled. "My counterparts in the Royal Navy shall send an armed patrol boat to regularly scour the lake. I promise you, it will be under strict orders to leave you be. If you need assistance, you will also be allowed to consult them for advice."

"I will allow your patrol boat on my lake, if they leave me alone; as you said." Taking a breath, I continued, "And what of the guards?"

"There will be a dozen guards stationed around the perimeter of the lake," he continued, "with set patrol routes so as not to disturb the Earth-native wildlife nor the Pokemon."

I frowned.

" Sergeant, I do not believe stationing your guards will be a good idea."

Sergeant Bradford's face hardened slightly. "Continue."

"Back in my home-world, the vast majority of humans who came to my lake wanted to do me harm or disturb me needlessly. I cannot trust that these guards will not do the same, especially if they are armed." While it was easy for me to shatter an intruder's mind, the way this human carried himself – and how he brought several armed guards to the first meeting – told me he and his people knew what I was capable of. "I ask you, sir: What will these guards do that your armed boats cannot?"

"Azelf," Bradford said, "Derentwater Lake is quite large. While I do not know how large the lakes were on your home world, here if a situation were to occur on land..." He looked down at my tails. "It might be too late to stop it, even assuming the boats were moving at top speed."

I frowned. Did I really need that many layers of defense? My incredible psychic powers could stop any opponent in their tracks once I drained their willpower completely. What could Bradford's men do with their patrol craft that I couldn't?

"You are a valuable ally to us, and we will treat you as such. Believe me when I say I bear no ill intent against you."

"Sergeant, is it alright if I search your minds?"

"What for?"

"To determine if you are telling the truth."

"Go ahead," Braford said. "I assure you that you will not find ill intent."

My eyes glowed with psychic energy as I skimmed everyone's minds once more. Bradford in particular shifted as I searched his mind. After a few moments, I smiled. "I can sense that you and your men are telling the truth, sir."

One of the soldiers tapped Bradford's arm. "With all due respect, ,Sergeant in light of Azelf's response it would be wise to withdraw your request for the armed guards. There is no use or benefit in angering a being this powerful." Before he could continue further, Bradford silenced him with a wave of his hand.

"Then what of the townspeople that wish to harm Azelf?" Bradford retorted. "I will not let anyone disturb the lake, since it is filled with potentially dangerous Pokemon now!" He took some deep breaths. Turning to me, he continued, "Azelf. I understand your request. However, know that these soldiers will also receive the same strict orders as the ones piloting the patrol craft. They will only disturb you in case of serious emergency or if you explicitly approach them for help or requests. Do I make myself clear?"

"I understand you completely."

"Good. So, back to the question at hand; will you allow my superiors to post armed guards around your lake, in light of the information I have given you?"

"I will, Sergeant."

"Thank you," Bradford replied. "That is the response I had hoped to hear. You are dismissed, Azelf."

I floated over to the door, carefully opening it with telekinetic power. One of the soldiers seemed ready to remark on me psychically opening the door, but a glare from Bradford stopped him in his tracks. The look said, Azelf there may have incredible psychic powers, but what I will do to you will humiliate you more than they ever could.

Before I left, I nodded to Bradford and his men, pulsing a telepathic farewell.

They all looked at each other before giving me a curt nod in unison.

I smiled. This would be the start of a new era for everyone.

Welcome to the first chapter of "By Force Of Will". This chapter is an introduction to Azelf as a character, and also an experimental concept in writing a non-human POV.