Fire Fading
Grass blowing
Heart Racing
Body trembling
Eyes Searching
Mind Panicking
"Answers will come, Damien, just give it time."
Voice booming
"I will answer everything in time."
Light blinding
Chapter 2: The Walk
The morning sun approaches over the breaches of the horizon. A pair of pokemon lay around a smoldering fire, only remnants of a fire present. It seems only seconds pass when the small black and red fox shoots from his rest, with a sharp gasp, breathing heavily. Groaning to himself, shoving off the sense of panic that had overcome him. He looks towards the still sleeping green, leaf headed creature that sleeps nearby, a Chikorita.
Standing up quietly he steps out of the small concave hole thay had rested in the night prior, he seems to peer around, determining the time and just getting his bearings back. I hope that doesn't happen too often, who was talking to me?.Groaning to himself again he turns around and heads back into the divet. Awaiting the waking of Maggy, the Chikorita.
It didn't take long from the shifting of sand from Damien to have awoken her, as he settled himself back down, eyes tired.
"I'm kinda…yaaawwnn surprised you're awake." She said, pulling her head up, vines coming out from the spots in her neck, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Yeah, I expected that as well." Voice, rough with sleep, which caught the attention of Maggie.
"I've been meaning to ask, what's with your voice, most small pokemon have a much higher pitched voice."
"Like you?"
"Well, I'm a girl, so there's that."
"Uhh, yeah, that's correct. I guess it might be because I'm 20. Outside of that, I couldn't tell ya." He said, shrugging about as well as he could in the laying position he found himself.
"Right, kinda forgot." She began standing and stretching herself out, awarding her the relief of no longer feeling stiff. "ALRIGHTY!"
"Oh geez." Damien quietly said, recoiling slightly from the sudden outburst.
"Let's get moving shall we?" She said adjusting the bag she slept with.
"Right, yeah." Damien said, following the same stretch as Maggy, which worked fairly well. "Oh, that's nice." He said to himself.
Without saying a word Maggy stepped out of the pit, and looked around, getting her bearings, thought, and chose a direction, seemingly knowing where to go. Damien quickly follows behind, catching up to her. They seemed to walk in the ever growing morning sun for about 30 minutes before finding themselves a dirt path. Seemingly formed frm many years of use, very little grass growing upon it.
"May I ask why you were so far from the path?" Damien said staring back at where they came from, only barely able to see the shore from his low stature.
"I was at the beach, why else?" Maggy replied.
"Fair."
"Right, so, I believe…" She stared at the sun for a moment "We go this way to town." She said, turning left down the path. "Because we need to head more south."
"Okay."
"Lemme ask you something?"
"Hmm?"
"You seem to just be following on a whim, understandable since you've forgotten many things, but I'm sure you wouldn't have forgotten stranger danger, right?" She said turning back to the Zorua who was kinda surprised by such a question.
"Well… don't take offense, but I think I subconsciously deduced that you weren't a threat to me."
'Wha- How?"
"I don't know, a part of me says to read everyone you see whether they're a threat or not." A pain shot through his head, like a needle had burrowed it's way through. Groaning at the sudden pain.
"That's an interesting thing… you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good, just my head hurt for a moment, it's passed now." Ow, why did that happen, is that a piece of who I was before. Thoughts for another time.
It had seemed that close to an hour had passed as they had walked in the seemingly never changing grass land, a prairie of sorts, without any defining features, it was difficult to discern if they had actually gone anywhere.
"Well, I'll say we still have quite a ways to go, we should reach town by nightfall. I think." Maggy said, breaking the long winded silence.
"It's kind of astonishing how boring the landscape is here." Damien said, looking around. "Like genuinely, everything looks the fucking same." He continues complaining, not really directed at anyone.
"Yeah, it ain't changing anytime soon, it'll be like this the whoooole way." Maggy replied, dragging out her statement.
"Damn, that's really shitty."
'Look at you using bad words. Yesterday you weren't." A smirk crawling up her face, as she looked at the Zorua, who was still looking around, trying to grasp at anything that looked any bit interesting.
"Hmm, well, yesterday it didn't feel appropriate, I guess, I don't know." He said, turning to the smirking Chikorita. "Maybe I was trying to make a good first impression. Also what's with that face?
"I don't know, I just think it's funny." She simply said ``turning away and beginning to speed up. "We should probably get moving a little bit faster, if we wanna catch the inn at a reasonable time."
"Wait, Inn? You don't have a place in town?" Damien said, catching up to her.
"Nope, I'm not even from here, remember what you said 'Why are you up north, you're a grass type?' Yeah, I'm from the south-west, I only came up here cause there were better opportunities for Rescue teams."
"Huh, the opportunities are not as good where you're from?"
"Nope, while there's a guild, the area doesn't have any difficult mystery dungeons, so most pokemon can clear them, and thus, very very few people need rescuing."
"Alright… so, what's a mystery dungeon?"
"You don't know what- Oh yeah… right., well I guess we have something to talk about while we walk huh."
"Is it that lengthy of an explanation?"
"Not really, but it takes quite a bit of time."
"Alright, well, go on."
"OKAY!"
"Oh geez, again."
"A mystery dungeon is, well simply that a dungeon that's mysterious. They began popping up a few hundred years after the humans disappeared, no one knows why, or how. They seem to have their own type of energy, magical of sorts." She said waving the leaf on her head to add a dramatic effect to it. "Magical to the point that it is very difficult to understand, thus the name. They are always changing on the inside, and are also impossible spaces, like bigger on the inside than the outside."
"Huh, okay."
"Yeah, weird right? It gets weirder though, as all mystery dungeons also have floors. You could be a forest and find a flight of stairs going up, and if you walk up them, while you may go up into the canopy, or even the sky, you end up on solid ground."
"That's… Incredibly hard to believe."
"Yeah, I know. But, as a rescue team, you will experience it on a near daily basis."
"Alright."
"And as well, within the dungeons, for whatever reason, all the pokemon that live inside them are like, feral, so we can't communicate with them, and they just attack all adventurerers on sight. There are the odd couple that may want to join after being beat in battle, but they are quite far and few inbetween."
"Odd, to think about not all pokemon are civilized."
"You're taking this information in quite well."
"I'm simply listening, so it's not the hardest."
"Huh, well I've got more for ya."
"Oh okay, uhh, go on."
"Every mystery dungeon has an end room, that nev er changes and is always on the same floor. No one has figured out why they're there, but we've just sort of accepted that it's a part of them. Though there are stories of dungeons that just lead to an exit, like a cave or something, but those are very uncommon."
"Ah, okay."
"Yeah, and also there are special items that have sprung up along with the dungeons themselves, like special seeds that have effects upon consumption, and blue orbs that have powerful strange effects. OH and there are traps laid within the them, and no one knows who sets them up."
"The dungeon itself, I guess. They are ever changing, so as a sort of 'tile' within, they are able to replace a piece of the floor, I guess."
"YEAH! That's sort of the accepted gist of it, not even many of the smartest pokemon can solve these things."
"Huh."
Maggy looked up at the sky, straining her neck, noticing the position of the sun. "Hmm, it's about midday, I think we should stop and eat."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, I haven't eaten since… I don't know."
"Yeah, probably a good idea to eat." Maggy said before stopping the and shifting themselves to the edge of the path and using her vines to pull out a picnic style cloth, throwing it on the ground. She then pulled out a couple apples, large ones at that, or maybe they only looked large cuz the pokemon were small. Joining her on the cloth, Damien pawed an apple to in front of him, and holding in place with a paw, he began eating it, it was sweet and juicy, tastier than any apple, he believes he's had.
"Damn, this is good." He muttered to himself, as he began to eat it more quickly.
"Yeah, these are mystery dungeon apples, for whatever reason, they are far more tastier than regular ones.
Choking down a piece, Damien looks at Maggy. "Must be infused with the mystery magic."
"Could be… Don't choke please."
"I'm trying not to."
Sitting there for a while enjoying their food, Damien looks to the bag that Maggy has been carrying this whole time, it's size having not changed." What's up with that bag, it seems like it can hold a lot."
"Hmm? Oh byeah, it's a rescuer bag, they're magical like the dungeopns, it can hold far more than a regular bag, but uhh… it's space is based on your rank, and because I'm unranked, its not that big, but still holds more than a regular bag."
"How did you get it? If it's a rescuer's bag, and you're not a rescuer."
"Oh, it's cuz it was a gift from my Mom, she's a retired rescuer, and gifted me the bag when I said I wanted to leave to the North."
"Huh, that's sweet of her."
"Yeah, I miss her. Though"
"That makes sense, I would miss my mom too if she sweet like that… huh." A sad expression seemed to wash over the Zorua's face as he seemed to recall that he doesn't recall anything.
"Don't worry Damien, we'll get your memories back."
"I hope so."
"Well, I think we should get moving again, don't want to get jumped now."
"Wait, jumped?" This seemed to pull him out of his darkened mood.
"Yep, while there aren't any wilds out here, there are still bandits."
"Oh, kinda crazy to think about that."
"Yeah, I mean that's what happened to me yesterday, before you came along."
"Well, I'm glad I was there to help."
"Me too, because if you didn't, who knows what would've happened to me."
"I'd rather not imagine."
"Same…"
The two packed up and began on their way again in silence. Hours passed as the sun rolled it's way across the sky. Beginning to meld its way back into the western horizon, while the moon pierced the eastern one, becoming visible to the pair once again. Though, it was clear to the two of the visible light in the distance of the path, a town.
"Oh yes, just before night hit, come on.: Maggy said before breaking into a run.
"Oh geez, okay." Damien shortly following behind catching up to her.
The pair ran the rest of the distance, only taking a few minutes, they approached the gate, which was labeled as "Fortune Town".
"Welcome to Fortune Town." Maggy said as they ran into the gate, some of the night wandering pokemon stared at the small pokemon as they seemed to race to a destination unknown to Damien. As she ran somewhat ahead of the fox, she turned to the right, quite quickly catching him off guard, as he attempted to turn, tumbling over himself, rolling a few feet.
"Woah, you good little dude?" A bassy voice said as Damien seemed to slide in front of a pokemon. A forward leaning gray scaled pokemon, with lon arms coated in yellow and gray metallic scales, claws dawning the pokemons hands. The same Metallic plates seemed to cover it's body, some spread outwards from the end if it's long tail. Dreadlock like plates seemed to clang together as the, now clear to see Kommo-o, leaned down staring at the small fox pokemon.
"Urgh, yep, I'm good, my friend over there turned quite suddenly." Damien spoke, with a mild strain, before being picked up by the metallic dragon. "Woah." And being placed on the ground on his feet.
"Alright little dude, be careful." He seemed to say before continuing on his, way, walking up to another group of pokemon, consisting of a Talonflame, which seemed to be perched on the top of a Nidoking, who seemed to let out a hearty laugh as the Kommo-o approached.
Getting his bearings again, Damien raced back towards Maggy who had been waiting for him in front of a building that seemed to have the design of a Kanghaskan.
"What was that about?" Maggy said as Damien slowed to a stop in front of her."
"Tripped, and he helped me out." Damien said, quickly catching his breath again.
"Huh, alright, you alright?" Damien just nodded. "Cool cool, well, this here's Kangha's Inn and Storage, as you can see." Sure enough there was sign stationed next to the door that said just that. "Come on, let's get a room." She said, before entering, with Damien behind her.
The inside was very quaint, wooden with a counter present, behind it was a Kanghaskan who was simply reading a book, with the baby Kangha also reading a book, but scaled down for the small pokemon. Around there was also a series of tables of varying sizes, but no one was present.
"Heya Kangha, it's me again." Maggy said aloud to the large pokemon, who turned her head from her book, and with a cheery smile spoke.
"Well hey there Maggy, it's been a couple days since I've seen you sweet bean." She said closing her book with a bookmark in it. "Ohh my, and I see you've brought a cute little man with you." Damien blushed under his his dark fur at the comment of the large pokemon, looking away slightly.
"Oh, yeah, this is Damien, but we're not a thing." Maggy said.
"Yet" Kangha says slyly, a smirk appearing on her gentle face.
"Mmm, no, he is my little hero though, saved me from a couple ruffians on the beach."
"Ohhh really now, my, I remember when my hubby was just my little hero, look where we are now, got us a little munchkin." She said dreamily, while also gesturing to the small pokemon in her pouch, who seemed to be fairly focused on whatever they're reading. "So, sweet bean, what'll it be, a room for 2?"
"Yep."
"1 or 2 beds? Please say 1."
"Nah, just 2. Maybe in the future though…" Maggy said, looking towards the still nervous looking Zorua. "I've only known him for a day, so yeah, 2."
"I've seen love blossom in minutes, my dear, and by the looks of things, he seems quite flustered, no?"
"Yeah, I can see that, kinda cute right now." A smirk breaching her face.
"I am much older than you." Damien blurted out, finally speaking.
"Pfft, you don't even know if you actually are that old, dingus, you're an amnesiac."
"Oh me oh my, that's not good, maybe our dear boy here has forgotten how to love, and doesn't know he has feelings for you, sweet bean." Kangha said, smirk remaining, clearly enjoying the conversation, and teasing her new tenant.
"Oh, my, does my little furred knight have feelings for me?" Maggy spoke in a babying voice.
"I have a feeling… That we should just go to our room." Damien spoke flatly.
"Alright alright, fiiine." Maggy said, exasperated." Which room, and how much?"
"Number 3, and it's on the house, this was fun." Kangha said, a cheerful smile appearing on her face again. "And I know there's 2 beds, but don't have too much fun."
Chuckling a bit, Maggy says, "We'll try."
Damien, still flustered, makes his way to their room, Maggy in tow, finding it. There are, in fact, 2 cushiony beds, low to the ground and not too large for the small pokemon. Damien, quickly making his way to one of the beds and hopping onto it, sinking in comfortably. He curls up immediately, and closes his eyes.
Closing the door to the dimly lit room, Maggy makes her way to the other bed, hopping in herself, she looks over at the curled up dark mass in the other bed.
"I'm sorry."She said, quietly. Damien breathed in heavily, and let out a sigh.
"It's alright, just caught me off guard, and I mean, you are nice, but I'm not into… pokemon. And secondly, you are a fifth of my age, from what I recall, which is just, weird to me, a human." He said, not moving, his voice slightly muffled from his fur and the cushion.
"Yeah… I-I understand." She spoke quietly still, before curling up herself. "Goodnight, Damien."
"Goodnight."
Minutes seemed to pass for the two, unbeknownst to them, focused on their conversation, and mood, a large form listened outside. With a heavy sigh, the form moved back down to the counter, awaiting the next recipients to come in for the night, before heading to bed herself, and her husband taking over, an Aggron.
Sleep eventually took over the small forms, as exhaustion had taken hold from their day long trek.
