A soft chill, between the warmth of my resting spot.

I raise myself, the morning dew in the grass feels refreshing in my hands.

Delicate, they protest against the cold, yet I still stand.

The fresh wind makes my shirt bellow, yet it's cold doesn't faze me.

A forest lays behind me, and as I turn to face it, the dark between the trees grows and reaches into the plains I woke up in.

A claw pulls me by my arm. Warm, it gently pulls me away from the shadows.

Axel's gaze meets mine, if for a brief second, and it turns again towards the plains.

I turn around, the shadows dimming, yet they still hold.

We slow down, my breath sharp and painful. I embrace him, small sobbing breaking the silence in the air. I look up, still in his arms, his gaze turned towards the great fields of green, a soft smile on his face.

I turn to see it, the golden morning sun radiating and enveloping the land.

This place is beautiful. Yet I am in grief.

For the place I might never see again.

"I'm still with you."

His voice is a bliss to my ears.

"I'm still with you."

I don't ever want to leave his side. I'd be leaving all I once had if I did.

This land is beautiful, yet I still want to return.

I still want to return.

I still want to…

Something in my face.

I swat at it, my eyes still closed.

It won't go away. I open my eyes, it's

Grass, it's grass. A particularly long blade of grass.

Ugh, really? I woke up because of that?

I reach to pull at it–

Blue paws appear to hold it.

…oh.

That… last night wasn't a dream, huh.

I grab the blade of grass.

I pull it.

Viciously.

I stare at it, my hand– now a dewott's paw– holding it in small, stubby, webbed digits. Crunching it beneath them feels awkward and difficult. I sigh, and lay down. I don't care if it's late, or early, I'm going back to sleep. It's super warm here, so might as well…I was sleeping on the grass, why is it so–

Oh, right, Axel.

Instead of sleeping stretched on his back, he's slightly curled up. Knees bent, head resting in his arms. It's… cute. Even if he is about twice my size now. So, I scuttle– wow, I did curl up in my sleep, huh. I scuttle closer to his body, the inviting warmth lulling me back to sleep.

Or it would if something didn't tickle my face. I look around, but find no grass long enough to annoy me. I feel my face, but touch nothing that could–

Wait, I found it!

I pull–

"Ow!" Something in my face.

What did I–

Whiskers. I pulled at my whiskers.

This is– This is embarrassing. I'm stuck as this, with half my size, no clothes, and most importantly

Something rustles behind me. Axel's waking up. His arm goes over my head, and–

And pulls himself closer to me. And lays his head above mine. And sighs.

"…Axel?"

He gasps and pulls away a bit. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

I pull my body up. "No, I woke up a bit ago."

I yawn, stretching as far as these tiny arms let me.

Axel fully sits down, legs crossed. He also yawns, thanks to the yawn effect™.

Damn, it's too early. He looks up behind me, and smiles. "Pretty, isn't it?"

I look behind myself. Far ahead, a mountain breaks the green fields, embraced by the morning sunlight. "Sure, I guess." It is pretty, but I'm not really feeling it.

Sigh.

…what did we have to do today, anyways?

Oh, right, something about crossing that mountain.

Wait.


"The mountain itself has a path inside it. A mystery dungeon."

Wait, wait, what did Sceptile say? "Uh myshtery–"

I take a second to chew and swallow the berry in my mouth. Axel looks at me with a funny face, chuckling as he does.

"A mystery dungeon? Didn't we just… barely got through one? I still think I was gonna faint at any moment!"

"Well, this dungeon is much, much easier. I was talking to the two kids last night, team Stormfront, they didn't have a particularly hard time with that dungeon."

Really?

Scorch also finishes whatever they had in their mouth, face blue from the berries "They might not look it, but even the lower ranked teams are plenty strong! I mean, they did get to this side of the Stormpeak Mountain, right?"

Huh, I… guess.

"They can handle themselves just fine," Scorch continues, "We can make sure you guys don't get hurt at all." With a smile, he gives us a thumbs up.

And right after that he fills his mouth with a fistful of berries. Gross.

"Or, rather," Sceptile interjects, "We're not confident in you two as a unit to be able to cross it unharmed.

As a– "Hey, I can carry my weight!"

Scorch looks to the side.

I hear Axel cough next to me.

I– hey, what? "I can pilot a team well enough! And if we find a pokémon we don't know, I can show you what to do, right?"

"Well…" this time, Scorch speaks up, "it's not like you can't, but we won't find anything strange in the way back–"

"I'll be blunt, you don't look like you can fight." Augh, this Sceptile!

"But Axe– Blaziken can keep me safe, right?!"

"I mean, sure, I can, but…" Axel, please help me out here.

"You may be a trainer, if you tell the truth, but you're also a pokémon. Fighting shouldn't be an issue for one. And you should be expected to defend yourself, even if only a little."

"Lavvy, that may be a little too harsh."

Me? Fight? Nah, no– No way! "I can't fight, I'm–"

Human.

Right. I'm not a human anymore.

"But I– But I have no idea how to fight! What am I supposed to do?"

"You trained Blaziken, right? Then, he should be able to train you back."

"Buh– train me back?"

"Wha– I do what?" Neither me nor Axel knew how to respond.

I mean, what were we supposed to do here? I don't know how– or what should he teach me? It's not like I'm going to kick other pokémon around like he does, right?

Right?

I look over to him. "What– What am I supposed– what should I…"

He stares back, but then looks back at Sceptile, "Well, it's not a bad idea, but it's not like I actually know how to train someone else."

"Hm?" Sceptile looks straight at me, "Didn't you say that there were pokémon that teach other pokémon? Wouldn't it be something common in your people?

"Yeah, but I'm not one of those."

Sceptile scratched his head.

"Well," Scorch says through a mouthful of berries, again, "we can think of that later, right? Let's finish eating!"

His friend just huffs, and puts a– whoa, a whole apple inside his mouth! He makes crunching noises as he chews, the fruit's pieces getting everywhere!

Sheesh, and Scorch is not much better. Although, a typhlosion would never look cuter than with their face tinted blue. Reminds me of Axel, back when he just evolved into a combusken. Such a messy eater. At least I taught him better than– wuh– hey!

Stop pecking that apple like a madman! Can't any of these guys eat slowly, like people!?

"You eat pretty slowly for a dewott." Don't talk with your mouth full, Scorch!

Axel elbows me and nods. What, does he want me to eat even faster and choke?

Augh, I hate this!

...


It took a while, but we were finally ready to march off.

And, no, it was not because I ate too slowly.

They just eat like ferals.

Sigh. Once we reach that mountain, it should get more 'interesting', as Axel would put it, right?

Hey, when do we reach that mountain?

"How long until we reach that mountain?"

Scorch, taking the lead right in front of us, yawns. "It'll take a full day to reach that place," What. "Lavvy says that it should be a three day trip to the town, but it might be four if we take too long on the trip after that."

What. "So, let me get this straight. We take one day to reach the mountain and four days to reach town?"

"Yeah. Though," he scratches the back of his neck, "we can take it slow if you or the kids get tired. Also, it's just three or so to reach town, it takes one day to clear the dungeon.

"Huh? It didn't take us long to get out of the forest one though…"

"Well, it's not because of the length of the dungeon, but because it can be exhausting to clear it."

"But you said it wasn't a hard dungeon to clear…?"

"See," he continued, "in dungeons it's… well, it's like time runs faster inside."

?

"Plants grow faster, wounds heal faster, but you also grow hungry quickly as well. On top of that," he turns to look at us, "the dungeon's own atmosphere can be pretty oppressive, so much so that younglings can faint even before clearing it. And so, most teams only take one dungeon a day, even some of the higher ranking ones."

Huh. Actually, thinking back, I fell asleep pretty quickly after we got out, didn't I?

On the bright side, I get a whole day for rest! I mean, after clearing a dungeon, sure, but… We still have to get there. Arceus, I'm gonna get bored.

Axel told me, quietly, when we were leaving, "I wouldn't take your cellphone out if I were you." I don't really understand why though.

This is gonna be boring, I can tell. I'd usually listen to music or listen to the radio– hell, even Axel likes to listen to radio matches! Don't they have scooters for us to use? Or trains– wait, wait, no humans, right, they probably don't have those.

...ooooh, so they probably don't have phones either. No humans, no technology, I'd wager. They probably sleep in caves, or something.

… I just soured my mood.

Let's fix that. Looking behind me, I see Axel talking to the sceptile. Or, trying to, the guy is brooding a bit too much. And so, I decide to slow down to meet Axel. We haven't had the chance to– Oh yeah! We can talk to each other, can't we? This is– this is great! I have so much to talk about!

Noticing me approach, Sceptile mutters something under his breath, "I'll, uh, I'll go check up on the two kids."

Me and Axel watch as he slows down to meet with the kids, their eyes lighting up like beacons. Huh. Well, kids always liked the brooding, cool and mysterious heroes, even in this world.

I try to strike a conversation. "What were you two talking about?"

"Oh, mostly about what the two said about us when they woke up. They think we're cool, but not nearly as cool as Sceptile."

"Oh, cool, cool."

"He wasn't too convinced about that, though…"

Hm…

He soon breaks the silence, "So, did you want to talk about something?"

I look at the other two, and with Scorch far ahead, and Lavvy far back and busy with the kids, I think it's safe to speak here.

"Do I!? You have no idea! I don't think a trainer could ever get a chance like this one!"

Axel chuckles, "Is it that big of a deal?"

"Well, yeah!" My voice changed to a whisper, "I actually get to understand what you say!"

"Alright, then ask away!"

I open my mouth to ask–

But nothing comes out.

Uhhhhh "I… can't think of anything, haha."

"Pfft, really?" His words come between held chuckles.

"What? It's not like I keep a list of all the things I wanted to ask you!"

His chuckle grows into a full-on laugh, "Why do you always do that!? "

"Huh!? What are you talking about?" Do what? Walk to people and forget what I was going to say?

"I remember once you beat your fist gym leader, you walked up to them, telling me that you wanted an autograph, but then when they gave you your badge, you went blank! You always do that!"

What!? I didn't do–

Wait wait, oh Arceus, I did blank out when I met Flannery, oh noooooooo "Oh, oh no, don't remind me of that, that's so embarrassing!"

Oh gods, why are my ears burning up so much!?

"So! I guess I'll ask first! Why did you blank out when you met her?"

Ah– "Well, uh, you see–"

"You had a crush on her, didn't you?"

"Wha–! No! No I didn't!"

He burst out laughing, head reeling back– hey, it's not true!

"See, this is when you forget that we Pokémon hear more things than you think."

Oh, noooooooo, "Does that mean that you know about the time I fangirled over Steven Stone?"

"I know about every single one."

"Nooooooooo, that's so embarrassing!"

Axel reaches out to me and– hey!

He ruffles my hair! "I don't mean anything mean by that. I just think that it's endearing. "

Uuughh, this is so embarrassing!

"Though… it's great that you got over that."

Sigh… "Yeah, I was… I was super awkward as a kid, wasn't I?"

He chuckles, "But if you ask me, I totally would've gone with that red-hair for a mate instead of that Ray guy–"

He stopped mid-sentence

Ah. Yeah, Ray.

Sigh, maybe I could've shot for Flannery.

Though I doubt it would've worked. I probably wouldn't have been eno– Wha–

Ah! The ground! It's gone! I'm in the air! Where's the ground! Axel! What– Wait, wait, Axel picked me up! "Hey what are you doing!?"

"I'm not letting that idiot ruin your day when he's not even in the same world as you! So I'm gonna give you something else to think about! Like the view!"

The view?

He holds me in his arms, much like I used to do when he was younger, letting me see things from… something closer to my usual height. Grass spreads as far as I can see, mountains in the distance. Clear skies above us, cool breeze and a soft aroma of grass…

Yeah. "Yeah, it's a… nice day."

He chuckles, "Nice day? Just a nice day?"

I scoffed. "What? I'm not gonna go 'Oh, look at the colors of the wind!'"

He wheezes, letting me down as he holds his belly, "Ah, you're gonna make my stomach hurt."

I laugh a little, but then sigh. Ray, huh? It's been a while.

Though I shouldn't let the thought of him stop me now, and here of all places.

"Weeeeeell, if you're not making questions, I guess I'll make another for you!"

Huh, "Sure, fire away."

Snort.

"Let's see… uh… what would you like to see for a ma– uh, for a boyfriend?"

"Pft, why would you want to know that?"

"Well, I can try and help you get yourself one, right? I just said we Pokemon listen in to more things than you might think."

Try and help– "How? Grab them and bring them to me?"

"Or asking their Pokemon for a battle."

Oh! "So, let me get this straight, you approach a trainer you think I might find cute, tell their Pokemon you want to fight them, and then the trainer comes to me and asks for a battle?

He gives me a huge smile. "Pretty much."

I know that smile. Not getting through him now…

I sigh. "Alright, I'll tell you. Mostly because you're going to get me nasty looking dudes if I don't."

His laugh betrays the frown that forms on his face, "Hey, I don't have that poor of a taste."

Snort. "Sure."

Let's see…

"I… like… tall guys. I like when they're thin, and it's fine if they're lanky… I don't mind if they're not exactly thin, but I don't exactly like if they're… like,... pure muscle."

"Hm…"

"Uh, but– but don't think that it's just their looks! They have to be smart… or at least a little… they have to like some sort of art… and they have to be funny! And laugh at my jokes!"

He snorts, "As if your jokes are funny."

"They are!"

He laughs!

He just laughs at me!

"Alright then, I'll ask, what's your kind of girl?"

He chokes– hah! And after a little bit of coughing, he answers with "Well, uhm, what's yours?"

"Oh, nonono, you don't get to turn the question back at me! That's a different question, and it's my turn."

He sighs, "Well, I– uh, I like. Uhm."

"Well?" I step closer to him, to poke at his leg.

"I'm not really sure, honestly… I haven't thought about what I'd like in a mate…"

Yeah sure, "Well, I remember when we watched training videos on the net, you only really liked the videos of one user."

He froze.

"Could it beeee, because it waaaas, maybe, perhaps, a blaziken as well?"

"We– Well, it makes sense, right? It's… easier to understand the moves they showed me!"

"C'mon, what was her name? Aster? Asher?"

He sighed. He knew I wouldn't let him off, the goof. "Astra."

"Sooooo, what did you like of her?"

He covered his face with his claws, "I liked the way her legs looked." His embarrassment could be heard even through the muffled voice.

"Aaaaand?"

His neck feathers ruffle, "… and– and her feathers were nice."

I giggled like a schoolgirl– it was too cute!

He sighs, gaze meeting the horizon, his feathers, uh… , his feathers un-ruffling. "Though, to be honest, I think I'm over it…"

"Ah, so not interested in her anymore? Looking for a new bird to swoon over?"

"Not really…"

Oh… "Uhm, I'm– I'm sorry, I–"

"Hey, don't think it's your fault!" He turns back to meet my gaze, smirk in his beak, "I'm the one that's not really interested in that right now."

"How… Sure." I sigh.

"Besides," he chuckles, "I've got enough with this girl over here." He looks over to me.

Snort. "Yeah, I'm a bit too much for those around me, huh."

"Yup. Now that you mention it, are you gonna make a move on your girl?"

"What? Kyla? I'm not interested in her."

"You say that, but…"

"Pfft, as if."

We talked for a good while. It was fun, finally getting to properly talk with my partner. Once we were finally done with the questions, we began talking about our journey. We then talked about some of the gym leaders– Norman sounded kind of an asshole, Axel says. I agree

We spoke about the cities, about the pokemon, about some of the trainers we met.

They were good talks.

Long talks.

And even though I enjoyed talking with Axel… It was strange. Eventually, the chat became about our friends.

"Hey, was Zigg really clueless? Or was he just a–"

"A pervert? He's more like a womanizer, but he likes to molest humans mostly because he finds it funny."

I knew it! "I'm glad he stopped, for the most part, but boy he's getting an earful once I get back!"

Zigg is my second pokemon, a linoole. Bit of a weirdo, he's gotten a few slaps in the head for trying to get under my shirt when we sleep, and even more when he tried to flirt with other pokemon. But he's devoted to the group, when worse comes to worse, and he's amazing at battling, and a joy to watch fight. Mostly because he fights by being a pest, and Axel enjoys having more opportunities to kick others into submission.

As for Bolt…

"Bolt's not mean or anything. He just doesn't know how to speak to you."

"Even though I'm her trainer?"

"He's often like 'humans don't understand me, and she's definitely not gonna know what I'm getting at'." He says with a funny tone.

"Tell him to have a little more faith in me."

"No promises."

Jerk.

Bolt is not… technically my pokemon. He's Kyla's second pokemon, she lent him to me after my second badge, so that he could fight and train even if she wasn't going to do the gyn challenge. He evolved and everything, but I sent him back once I… took a break.

I wonder how he's doing. I bet he'd be flipping out if he was here with us, haha.

As for Kyla…

She's my best friend.

Well, maybe after Axel, but, he's, well. A pokemon. Not a human.

He doesn't call the shots, or talk to people, or ask for directions. He stays next to me, wary of wild pokemon.

Not like he's doing now…

"Hey, uh… do you like this?"

He turns his head in a blink, "Huh?"

"This, y'know? Talking to us, talking to others..."

"Hey, I talk to the rest of the team."

"That's not what I mean… back then, I was the one taking the lead, I was the trainer, since I was…"

I couldn't finish the sentence.

"But now, it's almost as if you're… happier."

And I can't help but wonder if you prefer it that way…

And I can't help but wonder if I'm not enough…

"Hey."

I raise my head.

"I'd never change what we have for anything in the world."

"Axel?"

"It's fun, yeah, but it doesn't feel like I know what I'm doing. So, I dunno, I'm not exactly comfortable with this…"

"Hey, I could–"

"But I want to take care of you, because I feel like that I can do well. Even if I'm the one calling the shots, I feel like I can do it if it's with you."

He raises his head, eyes fixed into the sky. "And I like to take care of you. Because you like to take care of me."

"Axel… I…"

…He's been helping me out this whole time…

I look him in the eyes. "Axel."

He looks over.

"You've got this!"

He widens his eyes.

"You've been doing a great job so far! It may not look it, but looks to me that you know what you're doing!"

He stares, bit a word coming out of him.

I sigh. "…well, you do take good care of me. Though you often sound like my mom…"

He finally smiles. "Hah, but she's right, y'know!"

"Pfft, as if!"

We walked on, enjoying the scenery…

It's pretty nice..


(...

WElp, that happened. Been a while, hm.

I've been slowing down, if only because not having time is killing my motivation. Updates will be slow now.

Not that there's nothing written, just that I don't exactly have the time to edit it, and I'm also not quite sure about putting it all in one chapter...

Until next time!)