We had only been flying for a short time when I finally realized the full implications of what I had just done. I had just allowed myself and four other mostly innocent children to be adopted by a dragon who I only trusted because the others did. Because of my lack of foresight, we were flying off to parts unknown to be a part of a guild, and I had no idea what that would entail. I didn't even know where we were going. Smooth, me. Very smooth. Perhaps the smoothest I've ever been.
"Where are we going?" I asked. My voice was hard to hear over the howl of the wind rushing by. The sands a rushed by over a hundred feet below, dune after endless dune. It was a few seconds before I got a response
"To the Dragonite Guild." Great, that's helpful, that explains everything. Were we in Africa or another world completely? I had no idea who said that, either, which only added to my minor frustration. That blunt response could have been any of them.
Inaudibly sighing and trying not to grip my claws into Dragonite's skull, I rephrased my question. "What town is that near?" The response I got was quicker but not
"It's in the center of Sand Central." I had no idea where that was either.
"Don't know what I expected, I don't know any towns in this world, and if it was similar to my own... no, I am certainly in a different world." I thought, shaking my head.
"Haven't you heard of it? It's the biggest city on the Sand Continent." A voice responded. I assumed it was Star as his head turned towards me. He had an incredulous look on his face.
"Nope!" I cheered. Star rolled his eyes and continued looking ahead. Seems I had annoyed him. Still, that wasn't the important part. I had to keep a mental note of the multiple continents. The extra continents would help with my lies. They may be a world-famous guild, but they probably haven't been to every town that exists. I looked towards the ground. We were passing over a desert on the Sand Continent, how unexpected. Metric tons of sand passed underneath, much of which was piled into mountainous dunes. The only other things I saw were the occasional patch of dirt passing underneath us, an odd creature or two, and the occasional odd-looking shrubbery.
It was as barren as you'd expect from a desert. There wasn't even any cactus, though apparently, that was only really a thing in the USA. Growing bored of staring at the ocean of sand, I looked up and stared at some clouds instead. Their fluffy white appearance was oddly reassuring in this chaotic fever dream I had to call my life. A bit of consistency and familiarity would help me cope and adjust, I figured.
I had been staring at the clouds for an unknown amount of time when I finally looked down again. At first, I thought I was seeing a mirage after having stared at the sky for so long, but even as my eyes adjusted it didn't change. I was expecting sand and a lot of it, but surprisingly beneath us wasn't. It was an impossibly flat plain covered in tall, somewhat yellowed grass. Only an occasional tree and other creature stood out beyond that. The flat savannah stretched for miles around. I looked forward, finally noticing the large city we were heading towards, slowly growing larger as we rapidly approached.
Well, I say large, but it was more like a moderately sized town, quite a bit smaller than the one I used to live in. It wasn't sprawling, either. It probably had about five thousand Pokémon living in it. I suppose when you can fly it doesn't matter where you live since travel time to any occupation is going to be reduced by a lot. Still, it seemed so far from everything else.
"We're almost there!" A voice called out. Judging by the level of excitement, I would guess it was Nera. I did my best to smile. I was completely terrified for some reason. Maybe I was just scared due to some new instinct, or maybe it was because I was traveling at supersonic speed on the back of a dragon. I'd probably enjoy it more if it wasn't so crowded. There was barely enough room for all of us to hold on. I was laying on Dragonite's head. Nera was next to the other bunny on the neck. Star and Ray were both clasped onto his lower back just above his tail, and ² was being held in Dragonite's arms. As we approached the city we began to slow down. I felt myself sliding forward.
"Oh no," I mumbled. I reached out to grab anything I could, but my new paws weren't made for grabbing things, my claws sprang out but couldn't get enough traction. His smooth, bald head didn't have enough things to grip onto. In a fraction of a second, I felt something brush near my mouth. Acting quickly, I chomped down, unsure of what I was biting.
"Ow ow ow." I heard someone mutter. I didn't really care if I was hurting anyone, I didn't want to fall off a dragon traveling near the speed of sound. Over the course of several seconds, I was dangling from something I held in my mouth, eyes clamped shut in fear. Soon I felt a weird sensation. I wasn't dangling, it seemed. I opened my eyes and saw my body was covered in a familiar mystical blue light.
"Squared!" I thought. I looked down at him and saw he was focusing heavily on me. I swear I could see his head smoking.
"Hold on!" Someone shouted, probably Dragonite. Was that to me or Squared? I could hold on to nothing, but squared could hold on to me, but it was probably to both of us. We were rushed to a large building. It was vaguely shaped like Dragonite's head. The other buildings nearby looked a bit more like typical buildings, square and wooden.
Landing in front of the quirky-looking building, Dragonite placed ² on the ground and reached up, grabbing hold of me. I let out a quiet sigh. This was not how I expected to arrive in this town. I felt something trickle in my mouth. It tasted oddly good. I felt my cheeks tense up as I had just eaten a lemon.
"Okay, you can let go of my antenna." Dragonite stated. I wanted to, but my jaw would not move. Poking at my jaw, I tried to pry it open. When that failed, tried to pull it out. Dragonite let out an audible wince, so I stopped.
"Can't" I mumbled. My jaw was stuck. It might have been fear or some other primal instinct, but I could not willingly move my jaw. The others hopped off his back, staring in awe at the massive building before them. They weren't moving at all, frozen in the utter amazement of being at a guild they only ever dreamed of visiting, let alone working for. Honestly, I'd feel the same way working at a large toy store at their age. Let me be honest, it isn't as fun as it sounds. Well, some days were fine but others were a pain. I'd know. I was the manager at one.
"What do you mean 'can't'? Just open your jaws. I have a hold of you, don't worry. You won't fall." Dragonite responded. I took a breath and tried again. I felt my jaw twitch, but ultimately it didn't budge. That wasn't going to work.
"Nrg." I groaned. I couldn't let go of it, no matter how hard I tried.
"We'd best get the hammer then, eh, Azumarill? Gotta break his teeth to get him off." Dragonite joked. My eyes twitched as I mentally rolled my eyes.
"I can't." I restated. My jaw quivered but refused to open. I tried harder, but it still didn't work. Azumarill looked towards me, placing a paw under her chin.
"I don't think he's doing this on purpose. Let's get him inside, I think I know of something we can do." She stated.
"Not the haymer." I groaned. Azumarill laughed at this.
"Don't worry, that'll be the last resort." She stated. I had a bad feeling she wasn't joking, or at least wasn't exaggerating. The winds slowly picked up, blowing loose bits of grass around. It felt nice, but I imagine it'd feel better if I could untense my jaw.
"Come on kids, inside." Azumarill stated. She slowly pushed their statuesque forms into the building. I couldn't see it, but I could hear their heels dragging into the ground. Through the doorway was a large main hall. Two boards were on the side, one on the left side and one on the right. Several other creatures were standing near it, discussing things. We turned a corner and walked down a small, short hall. A flight of stairs led down into a basement.
"Into the basement of a weird dragon. This will be great; I can just tell." I thought, rolling my eyes. My eye roll was caught by the Dragonite.
"Whatcha rolling your eyes for?" He questioned, seemingly in a good mood despite our predicament.
"Mommy told me to not trust strangers, and you're a strange stranger." I responded through gritted teeth. I tried my best to sound innocent despite that. The dragon stopped for a moment, roaring in laughter. He put his hand on the wall to catch himself.
"I suppose I am, aren't I? Your friends trust me, so is that enough?" He wondered.
"No. I just met them yesterday." I stated bluntly. The Dragonite sighed before he went quiet. He seemed quite understanding for such an unusual situation. We continued down the torchlit stairwell. The room we entered was a large open area, rectangular. The walls were made of red stone, reminding me of a canyon. Directly in front of us was a doorway that led into another large room. To the right was a long hallway that seemed to split apart into other rooms. On the left and somewhat behind us was another set of stairs.
Next to the stairs further left was another room. A small, brown foxlike Pokémon appeared from the corridor on the right. Although it almost looked like a bunny, or a cat, or a dog, perhaps. The fur on its neck was a shining white and looked like a large fluffy marshmallow. The creature's mane was puffed out into a clean and well-groomed mane. I wanted to touch it some time, it looked so soft.
"Hey, Even, can you show them to their rooms? I have a lump I need to be checked out." Dragonite stated, gesturing to me. I waved my paw towards him.
"Hi!" I cheered, smiling wide. The fox-dog-cat-bunny looked towards me with an amused expression, and Dragonite nodded.
"Certainly." He stated. They gestured to the others to follow. I couldn't get a good view of them, but I knew they were still almost completely immobile. The Azumarill slowly pushed them to the stairs, pushing them down them. I winced as I was led into the slightly darker corridor. We walked to the second room on the right.
"Hello-oh. I see you're getting acquainted with the newest members of our family." A voice stated. Twisting around, I saw a strange pink oval creature. It looked like an egg and had an egg in a pouch. It had stubby arms and no legs, just feet. It was a kangaroo egg Pokémon.
"This is Seya, our resident Chansey nurse. She's kind and doesn't ask too many questions about injuries. After all, she's had to deal with so many weird problems before." Dragonite stated. She was probably going to see me a lot. Slipping on water, tripping over my own two feet, and being in a new body meant I was probably going to get hurt quite often. I could only hope she wouldn't mind.
"Jaw not working?" She wondered. I shook my head no.
"Ow ow ow." Dragonite responded, wincing as he grabbed a hold of me, stopping me from throttling his sensitive antenna. I don't think it hurts all that much, but apparently, even a dragon doesn't like having a toddler biting down on him. The room was mostly barren, aside from a few hay beds, and some cabinets and drawers. In the far back, there was a closed door. I assumed there were extra supplies back there they didn't want just anyone getting at.
I didn't see any point in lying about this. "I almost fell off him while flying." I stated. She laughed, seemingly unsurprised. Did shenanigans like this happen all the time? If so, what did I get myself into? No, it was just that I am a toddler and she found what I said cute. I hoped that was the case, anyway. She walked to the back and disappeared for a few minutes. When she came back, she had some powder and a swab.
"I think I know what to do." She stated. Dragonite bent over, holding onto me so I didn't fall, and she rubbed the power into my mouth. My mouth tingled, but my jaws still held tight. I felt drool drip from my mouth, covering Dragonite's hands with slobber. He didn't seem bothered by this. This surprised Chansey. Using her hands, she tried to physically pry my teeth off, but somehow she couldn't.
"Hmm, his jaw is locked. You see, some Pokémon can lock their jaw in place. Usually, it's fish Pokémon, but some mammals have it as well, including the Zorua line. It's a mixture of fear and feeding which is keeping his jaw like this. The fear of falling, and now something possibly food is in your mouth, even if you know it isn't. It's just instinct." Seya explained. That explained why I couldn't open my jaw. The weird liquid in my mouth was probably a bit of his blood, which likely activated these instincts. His blood tasted good, which was kind of interesting.
Sea tapped her hand to the side of her face, clearly thinking. "Hmm, I have another idea. If we mix X-eye seed powder and water, it should place him in a daze that would loosen his jaw.
"What's plan C?" Dragonite asked, folding his arms. It was apparent he was against this option, but why? Seya didn't leave much time for me to think about it, however, as she spoke up quickly.
"Cut off your antenna." Seya stated this quite bluntly. It would be funny if it didn't involve me in some way. Dragonite let out a very long sigh.
"This could end up being very bad if done wrong, and even worse if anyone finds out. I need you to be extremely careful." He responded. What was going on? They weren't going to actually use a hammer, right? Would my teeth grow back? I didn't want to risk it, either way. I was honestly beginning to get scared by this, and I think Dragonite could tell, as he offered me words of encouragement.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." His soothing tone was unable to fill me with confidence. She nodded and smiled at me before she disappeared into the back, returning with a very fine cream-colored powder in a small container and a cup of water. She placed the water and mixed a tiny amount of the power with it, walking over to me. Dragonite bent over to allow Seya to administer the unknown drug.
She rubbed it on my gums and instantly I felt my jaw loosen, feeling much calmer and relaxed. I fell forward. There was a shout as I landed on the container of powder which flung in the air. The others stepped back and covered their faces and eyes while I ended up breathing it in in my lightly dazed state. Soon the room spun as someone picked me up. Everything felt fine for a moment... then the room twisted and turned to rainbows. I mumbled incoherently, only managing to say two words clearly.
"Oh no." They said something, but all I remember hearing were mumbling and screaming, and everything blurred. The next thing I remember, I was lying in a strange bed, my head hurting horribly.
"Oh, he's waking up." I heard. I groaned. It wasn't loud, but it was too loud for me. I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Ungh." I groaned, covering my ears. Something walked over to me, placing something in front of my face.
"Eat this. It'll get rid of your headache." I heard. Reluctantly, I took a bite of whatever was in front of me. It was exceedingly bitter, and I stuck my tongue out at the flavor, gagging slightly. However, my headache vanished instantly. I shook my head and looked up. Chansey was looking over me, smiling.
"Hi!" I cheered. She laughed.
"I'm sorry about that, there weren't a lot of other ways we could have freed you without someone losing a body part." Chansey explained, bowing down. I stood up and looked around. I wasn't in the nurse's area. I was in a room with four other beds. My friends were laying on them, wrapped in gauze and bandaged in several areas. They looked badly hurt.
"Wah! What happened to them?" I wondered, walking over to Ray. He was breathing, as they all seemed to be. One of his arms was in a cast. A cloth was wrapped around his neck to secure it into place. Chansey shuffled uncomfortably. I didn't like her body language.
"You went a bit, uh, crazy." She mumbled. I took a step back.
"Oh. Sorry?" I said, trying to look innocent. Chansey walked over and hugged me. This was new.
"It wasn't your fault, don't worry. None of this was." She stated. She seemed a bit more emotional than I was expecting. What happened?
"What did she say, 'none of this was?' I probably said something in that haze." I thought. I closed my eyes for a moment, appearing like a long blink.
"Well, I obviously said something, I only hope I didn't say too much..." A thousand possibilities ran through my mind, a few good, a few bad, but none seemingly particularly ideal.
"Did, did I say something weird?" I responded. She looked at me and smiled.
"You broke down crying, you said you were practically from another world and wanted to go home." She responded, crying.
"That it?" I wondered. She hugged me. I could feel the emotions emanating from the pink blob, which told me everything I needed to know. Against all odds, I made myself even more sympathetic in their eyes. It was convenient but unfortunate as I had no idea what I said exactly.
"What was that powder?" I asked with a puppy-dog eye look. She coughed. I already had an idea as to what it was, or what its equivalent was, anyway.
"Crushed Cross Eye Seeds. Don't tell anyone about it, okay?" She asked. It was surprisingly easy to not laugh at this absurd situation.
"Okay?" I stated innocently. I wasn't going to share that information, I'd probably get them in major trouble, which I wanted to avoid. I had a home for the moment, and I didn't exactly want to ruin this. Though having something to blackmail them with wouldn't be a bad thing. I wouldn't do that unless I needed to, of course. My thoughts on blackmailing the guild for drug use were interrupted by the others were groaning.
"I think they're waking up." Seya responded, turning towards the others. Thank you Captain Obvious, we are so grateful for your splendid medical insight. I stepped over to them, looking down on their slowly shifting masses.
"Ugh. Oh. H-hi." Star mumbled. He seemed distracted for some reason.
"Hi. You okay?" I wondered, smiling. He flinched, inhaling sharply. My smile faded instantly. For what may have been the first time in his life, Star was afraid.
"What happened?" I wondered, genuinely worried. The others were slowly sitting up, staring at me or the floor.
"You went crazy. The medicine they gave you reacted weirdly with your head. The adults weren't willing to stop you in case you got hurt, so we stepped in to help 'cause you needed to be stopped. You beat us up." Nera responded. Ray rubbed his arm, bruised and in a sling.
"You fought ferociously. None of us had any idea you were so powerful." ² stated. I looked at Ray, who stared towards the floor.
"Y-you didn't fight fair, either. You kept biting near the tops of our legs, stopping us from even moving." Star mumbled. That didn't surprise me, I probably wouldn't fight fairly given a chance. I looked at their legs, and indeed there were several bite marks around their upper thighs. There were also marks around Ray's throat. Apparently, I was extremely violent. I thought back, trying to remember what happened. I remember having a lot of fun but not much beyond a blur of colors. I looked towards Seya for some help. She smiled, rubbing my head. I was glad I didn't maim the others. I was almost certainly holding back, though. I somehow knew I still had my adult human strength in me, enough to overpower a few toddlers if needed.
"Ray got the worst of it, but the others will recover soon. Don't worry." Seya responded.
"I nearly killed him. Coulda did it to everyone. No more of that medicine." I stated, frowning. Seya smiled and hugged me once again.
"You're tough, even at a type disadvantage." Ray said, forcing a smile. Type disadvantage? That was new to me.
"Type disadvantage?" I wondered. I wasn't exactly sure what this was. The others looked at me, confused.
"Don't you know what types are?" Nera wondered. I shook my head. The four of them gasped. I looked towards Seya, who smiled.
"Not every Pokémon is taught about type advantages or disadvantages at your age. This is usually something you learn when you're a bit older. Your situation is just... unique, that's all." She responded. The four nodded.
"Oh, right. We should properly introduce you to the others. You probably don't remember meeting them earlier." Seya stated. I thought back to the rainbow blur of colors. Trying to think too much about it was giving me a headache, so I stopped.
"Okay." I agreed. Standing up, a bit of dizziness came over me, but it quickly faded. Walking past my injured allies, I exited the room. There was a big, circular room with several other rooms on the sides. Not quite straight ahead was a set of stairs heading down slightly. It seemed this was where the bedrooms connected. Walking down the steps, I found myself in a large, oval room. What I could only assume were sofas sat along the walls. A small section with some desks and chairs sat, and a bookshelf full of books rested nearby. This seemed to be a living room of sorts. Several Pokémon were nearby as well.
A long, brown, and cream striped ferret or weasel Pokémon was wrestling with a small, blue alligator-like Pokémon. Even another Pokémon, a green bipedal gecko, was talking. Even seemed to be doing most of the talking, though. Dragonite and Azumarill were talking in another section, nearer some stairs leading up. I assumed that was the exit. Dragonite turned towards me and waved.
"It seems you're finally awake!" Dragonite shouted. The others stopped, looking towards me.
"Hi!" I cheered. I was feeling nervous, but I had to at least try to be calm. Seya nudged me forward.
"I'm, uh, Jay. A Zorua. Uh, hi. Again." I greeted. I looked to the ground, rubbing my face with my paw. I looked up and the others all lined up, including Seya.
"Let's get in our proper introductions. You know me and Azumarill, these are the other guildmembers, minus one of course." Dragonite responded.
"I am Even, an Eevee. I keep my fur perfectly immaculate even in the dreariest of weather. It's not always easy, but I manage it somehow. I design and furnish the building's interior, making sure everything is clean and in its proper place. Without me, the guild would be a disorganized and unprofessional mess, and we can't be having that!" Even responded, gesturing a bit wildly. He was notably flamboyant, but also seemed like a nice Eevee.
"I'm Rhett, a Furret. I dig tunnels and expand the guild and help with building infrastructure, basements, and tunnels of many various kinds around the globe as well. I even made your room!" Rhett responded, bouncing up and down. Their body bounced in a wave of fur. I was expecting them to be male with a name like Rhett, but they seemed female. Who knows what counts as male or female in this world, though? She seemed a bit odd but friendly. She was energetic at least, but also clearly more than a bit on the silly side.
"Dilen the Totodile at your service. I'm the primary cook of this place, my food's well renown across the globe, in fact. I wouldn't be surprised if you've heard of me." Dilen responded.
I shook my head, cheerfully stating "Nope!" He visibly deflated, letting out a groan. He was a bit full of himself but clearly meant well. Food was his passion, I could tell.
"Cole. Treecko. Explorer." Cole explained. A man of few words. He probably got along with anyone if they proved themselves worthy of his time. Though his voice had hits of a Texan drawl, for some reason. I briefly wondered where he was from before my thoughts were interrupted.
"You can call me Seya. I'm a Chansey. I'm the primary nurse at this guild, and as Dragonite has put it I don't ask many questions about why." Seya responded, glancing toward Dragonite with a smile. She was quite calm and motherly.
"There's also Emanuel, or Manny, the Yanma, but he's currently recovering from his injuries." Dragonite responded, pointing towards a room.
I tilted my head, asking, "I didn't have something to do with it, did I?" The others smiled and looked away. After a time, I got an answer,
"He pulled you off Ray when you were bit onto his throat. He'll be fine. He's our scout, working with Cole on missions. He always has been a bit twitchy, don't worry about that. He only got hurt because he was the first to get to you at that time, so don't worry about him." Dragonite responded.
"I'm Ayrill, the Azmumarill. I'm the guild's second in command and Dragonite's right-hand Pokémon. I'm also the guild's primary researcher." Ayrill responded. She seemed nice, but after seeing her throw the others down a flight of stairs, I knew she was a no-nonsense kind of Pokémon.
"I am Argonil, the Dragonite. I lead this wonderful band of misfits, and against all odds, we made ourselves known to the world. It's always hectic here, but we're a family. Literally, in a few cases." Argonil responded, looking towards Even. Even nudged Cole's hand, who placed it on top of his head, gently rubbing it. The Eevee shuddered in happiness, letting out a strange but adorable cooing sound. I blinked. That was not the two I would have expected to be together, but opposites attract sometimes.
"You adopted us, so we are family. I think that's how it works, right?" I stated, looking toward them. Some of the others let out a small laugh, others simply smiled.
"Sure, we're family. Well, with that out of the way, I think I'm ready for some supper. Dilen, if you would head to the kitchen to prepare, we'd all appreciate it." Argonil requested.
"Of course, I have to show him the majesty that is my cooking, after all!" The Totodile stated, bowing. He rushed up the stair, disappearing suddenly.
"The others didn't get to finish their tour, but now you'll get to take it. I'll show you all around. This is our living area. Some call it a common room, and some just call it The Guild Hub. It's a room we go to when we've finished our missions and are resting. Over there, down that hall, and on the right is a pool if anyone wants to swim. On the left is a training field for practice battles. Over there's where you'll be taught by Ayrill." Argonil stated.
"Aw, we have to learn?" I groaned. Dragonite smiled and chuckled.
"Yes, unfortunately. You need to know how to read and spell." He responded. I was about to open my mouth when he interrupted.
"Read and spell in a language everyone can read." He added. I grumbled. I didn't mind too much, but I just hoped Ayrill wasn't going to be too strict. We walked up the stairs. "This is the second floor, whether up or down it's underground. Over there is the dining room." Argonil pointed towards the room I could somewhat see from the steps.
"Over there is my office." He stated. The room to the left of the stairs was his office, I made a mental note of that.
"Down there are a few things, some storage, where to go to find Seya and the library. That's probably where you'll be spending a bit of time." Argonil responded. That comment reminded me I was here because I could read these really difficult and tricky languages. I shook my head, trying to focus.
"Too much." I complained. It was a lot to take in. It wasn't too much if I had time to process it, however.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. If you need help, then you can ask anyone for assistance." He stated. I was probably going to be lost, honestly. I'd never had an amazing sense of direction. He showed me his office, a plain area lit with two large torches. A single wooden desk sat in the center of the otherwise undecorated room. It was as exciting as an office desk would be. As the head of a guild, I almost expected more, but I suppose he kept his office clean for a reason. The two of us headed downstairs, and he showed me how to reach our bedroom.
"I initially planned on each of you having your own separate rooms, but Rhett missed the memo I sent. You'll have to share, I'm sorry." Argonil stated. I nodded.
"It's fine. The others were used to sharing, and I can share my space if they can." I responded, smiling. He smiled back, possibly somewhat relieved.
A few minutes passed as I wandered the building, figuring out where things were. I was looking at the pool when I heard a voice call out.
"It's time to eat!" Dilen shouted through the stairs. Several footsteps raced forward. Rhett was rushing to the stairs. Even and Cole walked side by side, followed by Ayrill and Argonil. I was about to head up the stairs when I saw my friends wander out of the hall. I was about to ask them if they should be out walking but realized that was a bit out of character for a three-year-old.
"Need to do something about that. I'll have more time to think at night. For now, I should try eating." I thought. I made my way up the stairs and into the dining area. Two long, rectangular tables were placed next to each other, widening the area to allow for large amounts of food on the table. The table was long enough to comfortably sit everyone, even with us five. It could probably have several guests as well and still have more than enough room. The table was large enough it should have felt lonely, for lack of a better word. However, things were spread out in such a way that they felt far less empty than they would otherwise. Dragonite gestured to a spot near the end. I wandered over and sat down. The chair was comfortable and made with a quadrupedal body in mind.
"Do you know how to use utensils?" Argonil asked. I picked up the spoon and slid it onto my paw as I did with the pencil previously. It was a bit uncomfortable as it was designed for my other paw, so I slid it off and tried to use it there. While it was more comfortable, I didn't have a lot of skill with it. It beat being in minor pain when eating. I looked at Dragonite.
"We'll get some left-pawed utensils soon." He responded.
"Yay." I said, smiling. The soup was unveiled, steaming in a large pot in the center.
"Uh, hello?" I heard. We all turned towards the doorway, and my friends were standing there, looknig sheepish.
"Hungry?" Dragonite asked. They were silent, but all nodded in unison. The Dragonite covered his mouth, hiding a smile. Everyone seemed to find this adorable, but Ayrill just sighed.
"You should be laying down and recovering. I can't force you to, however. Not in your current states, at least." She stated. Argonil gestured to several open seats next to me. Nera sat next to me, ² followed suit. Ray was next, then finally Star was furthest. A bowl of something was poured. Whatever it was, it looked far more appetizing than the brown slop that was the Oran stew. Looking good didn't mean it was going to taste good, however. Taking a cautious sip, it did taste amazingly good. My bowl of soup was gone before I knew it.
Argonil looked towards me and laughed, saying "I think you just gained a fan, Dilen." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes before I responded in as innocent of a tone as I could manage.
"No. I was just hungry." The adults laughed in varying amounts.
"I like it." Nera said, smiling and bouncing slightly. I had to look away from this, the toddler bunny was going to blow my cover if I wasn't careful. She was just so adorable, but I had to act like she wasn't, a challenge even A-list Hollywood stars would find nearly impossible.
"Well, luckily I made more than enough. Help yourself too more." Dilen said. His face was beaming and full of pride.
"Yeah, you managed to make food that hungry orphans found tasty. Real impressive." I thought, looking up to the ceiling. Several bowls of soup went into my stomach before I finally felt satisfied.
"Thank you for the food." The four others stated, bowing respectfully. That Marowak taught them to be as respectful as possible. Unfortunately, I wasn't so instilled with respect, so I belched instead.
"Uh, 'cuse me?" I said, somewhat feigning embarrassment. I tried to be as cute as possible. The four other kids glared at me, but the adults laughed and smiled.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, anyway! Hahahah, come on, let's get you to bed. I'm sure the five of you are getting tired." Argonil stated. I wasn't as tired as I should have been, but I needed time to think anyway. How would I combine my adult mind into the innocent child persona I have made? I wandered back down the stairs and into the bedroom, thinking about it.
Lost in thought, I bumped into Nera on accident, muttering "Sorry."
She smiled, saying "It's okay." Everyone picked a bed. Something told me they weren't going to be picky about where they slept, as they were in different positions than they were previously. In the line, Nera slept the closest, then ², then Ray, and finally Star.
Time passed, and my mind wandered a bit. The others were quietly snoring and snorting. It was beyond cute, honestly.
"It's not like I can say I have two minds. It wouldn't work. Unless it could. I fell through that weird portal. That's my lie. How do I make it convincing, though? I can say that I'll slip in and out on occasion, with bits and pieces of info crossing over. Heck, I can say that's why he can understand the runes, and our memories are scrambled. Yeah, that'll work. But how do I initiate it? Combat? I don't know, maybe? Hmm. Alright, that's possible, but I have to be extra convincing." I thought, closing my eyes.
"Tomorrow I'll put my plan into motion. For now, rest." I thought before my mind wandered, and eventually, I fell asleep.
"You want to fight against me?" Argonil wondered. His arms were folded, head tilted in confusion. It had been a while before I was able to ask him this, as he was out doing guild work before.
"Yeah. I hurt my friends, but I don't know how hard I hit them. I don't want to hurt them again, so I need to see how hard I can hurt you, so I cannot do that to them." I said, smiling. My brain went wild trying to comprehend what I had just said. Sometimes my brain just fails me. I hadn't properly planned out what I wanted to say, since a three-year-old wouldn't do that. I tried to sound innocent, at the very least. Dragonite seemed equally as confused by my statement, but it seemed he got what I was trying to say.
"It's strange. You're strange, but I suppose that isn't too surprising. Heh, alright. I'll endure the worst of your attacks." Argonil stated. He uncrossed his arms and smiled with a nod. The two of us walked to the training field, a very large and empty field for battling and the occasional party, it seemed, judging by some of the trash lying around. There were paper streamers in this world, and I wanted to know where I could get some. However, my desire for colorful paper chaos would have to wait.
"Okay, ready? Do you know how to use an attack?" Argonil asked. I shook my head.
"Okay, that's fine. You should feel a power well up inside of you, try to focus on it, and use Bite on me." He instructed. I did as he said, closing my eyes and feeling for that power. I rushed towards him, a strange feeling in my jaw. I leapt towards him, unleashing a darkness-infused bite. He winced.
"Ow, okay! You did it! Great job. That was Bite, a dark type move. Pokémon have types and moves have types. Using moves that are effective types on the opponent will do twice as much damage. If you use a move of the same type, you can deal a bit more damage than normal, however, it's recommended you have a wide variety of moves so you can deal more damage to a variety of types. Moves like this take up Power Points, PP for short. This means you can only use them a limited number of times before you run out of energy to use them. When this happens, you can use a basic attack. It isn't very strong, but it can help finish an already wounded Pokémon. Try doing a simple attack at me." He stated. I took a step towards him and swiped at him with my claws. It hit him though it didn't seem to hurt much.
"Yeah, that's it! Zorua also have an interesting ability to make illusions, which can do several things. Do you think you can disguise yourself to look like me?" Argonil questioned. This was news to me, and I said as much.
"Hmm, I see. Your parents probably didn't get around to teaching you that, I imagine. I suppose it might be tough, but you're doing well so far. Can you try?" He asked. I closed myself, trying to tap into that strange illusion power I have. I felt a weird power rush over me and felt a bit dizzy. Looking up revealed a translucent image of the Dragonite in front of me.
"Wow! It's a perfect replica!" He stated, circling it, inspecting it thoroughly.
"It's not perfect, I can see through it," I responded. I figured he was just being kind because it was my first attempt, yet he seemed completely honest.
"Yes, that's normal. You can see through your own illusions, but to me, it's a completely solid replica." He responded. That made sense, honestly. My head jerked slightly as I realized this was my chance to enact my plan. This wasn't difficult for me, but for Jay, it easily could be.
"My head hurts." I stated. I dropped the illusion, stumbling.
"Jay? Are you okay? I'm sorry if I pushed you." Argonil stated, kneeling in front of me. I took a breath.
"Huh? What?" I stated, shaking my head.
"Jay? Are you okay?" He asked. I took a step away. I looked at him, and then around the room.
"Well, this is... an interesting situation." I said, shaking my head. I had to act a bit confused. I only hope I was convincing enough.
"Jay? What's gotten into you?" He questioned, standing up.
"Jay, oh, must be the Zorua. Sorry, it's a bit hard to explain. I don't get it myself, but that weird portal made a mess in my head. His head? I don't know. Anyway, my point is that 'Jay' is not alone in his mind." I stated. The Dragonite took a few steps back in shock.
"Wh-what!" He shouted, jumping in the air. His wings fluttered in confusion. The nearest torch flickered slightly in this sudden breeze.
"I don't know. Maybe I'm a figment of Jay's mind, or maybe he's a figment of mine. Maybe we're two brains in the same body. Whatever's the case, he exhausted himself, so now he's napping, I guess." I said, shrugging. The Dragonite put his hand under his chin, processing this new information.
"So, you're a second mind in his?" He questioned.
"Yeah. Our memories got mixed around, so some things I know and some things he knows got mixed and swirled. Or did you think that a three-year-old taught himself how to read ancient runes?" I questioned. The Dragonite jumped once again.
"You- But he said-" Argonil stated. However, I interrupted his thoughts.
"Jay said a lot of things. I just. Sorry, it's complicated for me, too. I know a lot of what he said isn't true, it's just his mind trying to make sense of it all. My memories are the same. I remember being a Zorua, but also not. Whatever the truth is, even I don't fully know." I responded. I looked at the ground, shaking my head
"Wait not a Zorua? What are you, then?" He wondered.
"Currently, I am a Zorua. But I used to be human before I walked through that portal." I responded, looking up at him. The Dragonite jumped high into the air, landing on his rear. The sudden winds nearly put out the nearest torch, but it remained lit.
"That's, but, it makes sense. I've heard about time portals causing major memory issues to occur before in rumors and legends. Still, to see one in front of me, it's, amazing." He stated. I took a step back, surprised.
"This isn't the first time, then?" I wondered. The Dragonite got off the ground, flapping his wings a few times for good measure.
"Well, it's the first time I can completely confirm happening. However, if it happened here, then it may have happened before." He responded. I nodded. The lie perfectly lined up with history, somehow. Hurray for miracles, I guess. I don't want to know what the odds were on that.
"Should we explain this to the rest of the guild?" I wondered. Argonil shook his head.
"You can leave that to me. So, uh, Jay, or do you call yourself something else?" He wondered.
"Jake." I stated. Argonil nodded.
"Alright, Jake. So, let's do a recap. Because of a weird portal incident, Jay has a second mind, Jake, and it also was a human at one point." Argonil stated. I nodded.
"I think so, but Jay could also be a fake mind made to cope with being sent to another world. I could be fake, made to help a toddler cope with a lot of chaos happening in his life." I agreed. The Dragonite closed his eyes, thinking of his next words carefully.
"Alright. Is Jay able to speak with us? Or is he still napping?" He wondered. I shrugged.
"I think the mental toll of using the illusion was a bit too much, which let me come out. This is probably going to be a thing if I were to guess. When he gets in over his head, I come in and take over. Think of it as an alter ego which comes out when things get tough." I stated. Argonil nodded.
"Well, if you're as smart as you say, you should be able to help out Ayrill with some of her research," Argonil responded.
I nodded, saying "Lead the way." I gestured to the doorway. We headed to the library, a colossal room with bookshelves stretching to the ceiling. Above, two balconies on opposite sides sat even more bookshelves, connected to the floor by two staircases. A bridge spanned the gap between them. It was a public area, too, so Pokémon of various kinds roamed around, some sitting at tables reading books by the torchlight. Others were browsing for different books. Argonil and I ignored them and walked to a small room near the back.
"Stay here, I'll explain the situation." He stated. He walked in, and I waited for a few minutes. He eventually came out and nodded. I wandered in. A large, ancient-looking paper with runes on them sat on a table next to a large tablet. Ayrill and ² were in the room together. I was shocked for a moment to see him but shook my head. It wasn't too surprising for the computer to help with researching. Ayrill was staring intently at the paper, then back to her notes. ² was floating some paper in front of him, facing towards a wall. His psychic powers occasionally shuffled the papers around, grabbing new ones on occasion.
"Hello Jay, or rather Jake is it? It seems your situation is more complicated than I expected." Ayrill stated, not looking up towards me. I looked at the paper.
"You have no idea." I muttered under my breath.
"As darkness rises, the lights will shine." ² stated, too busy looking at his notes. I looked over the tablet, and back to the paper. It took a few seconds, but I could confirm that's what the paper said. The tablet was the same one from before that I had translated for them. I wondered how things connected, but shook my head, realizing there wasn't enough information.
"We don't know what that means, however. Any ideas?" Ayrill questioned, holding up some. I closed my eyes. Darkness rising, like a prophecy, perhaps? Maybe at some point, there will be one, but not this early. It was probably something simple, like turning out the lights or waiting until sunset.
"Sunset? Bring it out at sunset?" I wondered. I looked at the other two who jerked back in realization. After scouring their notes, they looked at each other and then back at me.
"That might be exactly what we need. Squared, how long until sunset?" Ayrill wondered, turning towards ².
"Approximately twelve minutes, forty-two seconds." ² stated. Ayrill nodded, carefully grabbing the stone tablet, and headed out. I followed shortly behind her. Twelve minutes after, the sun was truly getting low.
"Not much longer." Ayrill stated. She was visibly excited. ² had brought a pencil and paper out to copy down whatever might appear. Seconds after this, the sunset had come and passed. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. However, unsurprisingly the tablet began to glow. It was a bit hard to make out, but ² had no trouble copying it down. Ayrill looked over the notes and started mumbling to herself as she wandered back.
"On the edge of the sea, the relics wait for their chosen." It read.
"An artifact choosing the ones to inherit it? How original. Ah well, it's weirdly fun. Also, didn't it say there were four stones or something? For ultimate power, collect the four stones, I think? Hmm, that's probably it. Of course, something tells me the others aren't aware of this." I mumbled to myself, laughing quietly.
"This was bothering her for weeks, and you have solved it in seconds. The human mind is truly something else." ² Stated. I accidentally rubbed my ear out of reflex.
"It's nothing. I'd probably not be nearly as good as some, but my mind was mixed up with that kid, so I can see things a bit more unconventionally alongside being smart enough to solve puzzles conventionally. That came out weird. My mind is weird right now, so I'm uniquely suited to solve puzzles." I responded. ² bobbed in happiness. I yawned, stretching my limbs. The two of us began heading inside.
"Tired. Jay'll be back in the morning, I imagine." I stated.
"So can you switch at any point, or is it just when Jay gets tired?" ² questioned.
"I think we can switch, but when he gets tired or stressed, I'll probably come out," I responded.
"Why did you not appear before?" ² asked.
"Him using his illusion powers was the first time he pushed himself. Or at least, the first time he was aware he was pushing himself. That, uh, medicine kind of stopped his, er, our brain from functioning completely, thus preventing me from making myself known, Though I think he tapped into me a bit then, however." I responded.
"What do you mean?" ² questioned, buzzing lightly.
"Well, I remember thinking 'Get away from everyone. Get away,' I was scared, it was the first time I was there, you know? It was the first time he was so stressed I was able to make an appearance, but because of the medicine, I couldn't take control. I think he tapped into that fear, and allowed it to consume his actions, making him violent. I'm sorry for that." I responded, looking to the ground. ² let out a sad buzz.
"I see. I understand. If I just woke up and I was not in control of my body, I would certainly be afraid." ² responded.
"So that's why." A voice responded. I hadn't even realized the others were waiting for us in the dining room.
"Oh, uh? You know what happened, right? About my situation?" I wondered. The others nodded.
"Is weird, but I s'pose it's weird for you, too. Maybe we'der." Nera stated. I nodded.
"I'm sorry about hurting you. There's so much going on, I don't get it. I hope you can forgive me." I said. I bowed slightly. I knew they bowed when they want to apologize. Every other Pokémon did this as well from what I had seen.
"It's alright." Nera said, hopping back and forth on one foot.
"I forgive you." Ray stated, nodding a few times.
"You've helped me and Ayrill out, so I have already forgiven you!" ² stated, bobbing up and down.
"Hmph. I knew no other kid would beat me." Star stated, crossing his arms.
"Technically he-I, uh, we are a kid, and he was still him at the time. So yeah, you did lose to a kid, as he was a kid in both body and mind." I responded. Star growled, turning away. A mischievous grin formed on my face.
"Right. Let's eat then get to bed. I'm hungry and tired." Nera said, stretching her arms. Our stomachs growled in unison. Many of the other adults in the room quietly laughed at our synchronized hunger. Thus, we sat down and ate. With full bellies, we made our way to the bedroom. Squared slept closest to me, followed by Nera, then Ray, and finally Star.
"Today was hectic, but now I have every lie I needed said, and now I can live more or less contently. It doesn't matter if I slip up and say something weird, I can just say it was Jake bleeding through, or Jay if I need to." I thought smiling. Tomorrow Ayrill would have the rest of the riddle figured out, most likely. Then I was certain the adventure would truly begin.
