Chapter 3: Sudden Fainting
Light breached the lone window, revealing 2 slumbering forms, one gray and red and fuzzy, the other, green with a large leaf, resting over the rest of its body like a blanket. The light seemed to stir the gray one to wake. The Zorua stared up from the plush cushion he had slept in, blinking sleep from his tired eyes. Hmm, no weird dream tonight. He thought to himself.
He stood up and stretched, before turning and looking at his friend who slept on the other cushion. I can meet her downstairs. He hopped off the cushion, lightly landing on the wooden floor. He made his way out of the room, pushing into the door, opening it quietly. Stepping out, closing the door the same way he opened it.
Moving his way downstairs, he sees an Aggron behind the counter, eyes closed, and relaxed. Ignoring the large, gray metallic form, Damien moved to a size appropriate table, and jumped onto one of the tiny stools that sat beside it, and began awaiting his friend.
While sitting there he thought to himself What else can I do?' He kept thinking. Hone Claws and scratch for sure, so I'm at least level 8 minimum, so I should have Leer and Torment. Something then occurred to him. Wait… Level 8, that seems incredibly arbitrary, I'm not in some sort of game. His mind began racing before a sharp pain shot through his head again, causing him to groan, keeling forward, hitting his head on the table, sending a lesser wave of pain.
"Urgh, why does that happen?" He rubbed his temples with his paws, before leaning back up, clenching his teeth. "Damn, that's really fucking annoying."
A heavy set of foot falls came from behind the counter as Kangha made her way from the back of the building, tapping the Aggron on the shoulder, pulling him from his rest. "You know you shouldn't sleep here, dear." She said to him with a disapproving look.
"Yeah, I know, I was just resting my eyes." Aggron replied in a very deep and raspy voice. He gave Kangha a hug before waving to her as he left her behind the counter.
Kangha after settling herself noticed the Zorua who was still recovering from the pain. "Well good morning to you, did you sleep alright?" Kangha said, with an upbeat tone in her voice.
"Morning, I slept alright." His voice was still tired.
"You doing okay hon? I may or may not have listened in on you two." Her voice shifts to a softer, more caring tone, that of a mother.
"So you know?"
"Your little human situation, yep."
"Hmm, yeah. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth."
"Not as ridiculous as you might think my dear. You see, it's a funny little phenomenon that pokemon just show up and claim they're human, and after some time, they just disappear."
"That's… Strange."
"It truly is, but generally they come and go with some sort of disaster, preventing it in the process as they disappear, truly fascinating."
"Huh… I guess that means I have a disaster to prevent."
"Maybe, but don't worry dearie, it'll reveal itself in time, much like sweet bean… She should be coming… Now." And on cue, Maggie walks down the stairs, using her vines to wipe the sleep from her eyes. "Good mornin' sweet bean, how'd ya sleep?"
"Pretty good as usual. Your beds are always the best." Her usual beaming smile looking towards the large pokemon. "I feel like if the beds at the guild aren't as good, I'll just come here every night."
"Psshh, you flatter me, but you know I can't give every night free."
"Yeah, I know. But I think it'd be worth it."
"Hey, morning'" Damien said, waving a paw at Maggie.
"Hey, good morning to you." Maggie said, her smile remaining, and trotting up to the fox. "So, were the beds comfy?"
"Uhh, yeah, very actually." Damien just watched Maggie hop onto a stool across from him, and look at Kangha who simply watched with a warm smile.
"Hey Kangha, what you got for breakfast?"
"Oh my, well, y'know, the usual as always, not much else I can do that's affordable as just basic berries." Kangha said before heading into the back again.
"You told me that last time!" Maggie yelled to the back where an audible laugh could be heard from the Kangaskhan. "Anyways, how ya' doin'? Maggie finished, turning to Damien.
"Alright, had another one of those headaches." He said rubbing his temple.
"Mmm, figure out what causes it."
"I think, if I try to remember something that was a piece of me. Like yesterday, when I said something about the whole 'evaluate everyone you see' yeah, and today, I was trying to figure out what I could do, and determined that at minimum I was level 8, which seems like an incredibly arbitrary thing."
"Huh, that's the most I've heard you talk." Maggie pondered for a moment. "Levels, huh? Like we're in a game or something."
"Yeah, sounds fucking weird right? After I thought about it, my head ran through a number of things, which caused the headache."
"Alright, what did you think about?"
"Like, where was this idea of levels coming from… like I've noticed that I have an expansive knowledge of pokemon and levels, moves, it's all ingrained in my head, and I don't know why and, and as time has gone on, more and more of it just flows into my head." Damien became more frantic as his speech went on.
"Alright alright, calm down, you might give yourself another headache."
"But how can I not when I have nothing but knowledge that doesn't make sense, or line up, or anything like that. None of it makes sense. Am I truly human, or am I just delusional, what is my past? Who am-" Damien stopped as a pain fired through him, not just his head, but his entire being, only a brief sound escaped him as his eyes closed and he collapsed, hitting his head on the table, and the small gray body crumpled to the floor, limp.
"Oh Arceus, oh geez, oh fuck. Fuck, Damien, are you okay?" Maggie said, rushing to the other side of the table, getting close to Damien's limp body, barely breathing.
After a moment, Kangha came around the corner, balancing a couple berries on a wooden platter, quickly noticing the situation, she ran forward, throwing the platter on the counter, some of the berries bouncing and rolling off.
"Oh my, what happened?" The large figure questioned, running over to the much smaller forms.
"I don't know, he was just going off, and then passed out." Maggie spoke with panic behind her words.
"Okay, okay. I think We should take him to Mismagius, she'll know what to do."
"Right okay."
With that, Kangha scooped up the small fox, she pulled the small pokemon from her pouch. "Stay here and watch over the Inn while I'm gone sweetie." The small pokemon simply nodded and trotted their way behind the counter, their head barely poking above the counter. With that, the two left, running to the left of Kangha's Inn.
Running through the town, the few morning people watched in curiosity. It was a short run to the building, it was simple in look, but there was a board that read "Ms. Magius' Clinic" And a decal of the signature hat of Mismagius rested on the final 'c'.
Running inside, there wasn't anyone but a Mismagius organizing something behind a white desk, that had a purple strip line the edge of it. Mismagius looked up from her desk to see the three pokemon who had rushed into the building. She was wearing a pair of small square glasses that weren't so much being worn and was floating in front of her eyes.
"Help." Kangha and Maggie said simultaneously. Noticing the urgency, Mismagius floated over desk to check on the smaller gray form held in the Kangaskhan's arms.
"Of course, of course." She said as she moved, her voice was soft and wispy. She hovered over and looked at Damien. "Do you mind if I take him?" Se said, outstretching her arms, the sleeve-like ends hanging down.
"No go ahead, please just make sure he's alright." Kangha said, handing the small form to the ghost-type. Falling into the much thinner arms, but still holds strength to them.
"Of course, it is my job." She said floating into a different room.
"I hope he'll be okay, that was very sudden." Maggie said, looking up at Kangha.
"Sounds like it was." She simply replied, before moving to an appropriately sized seat, Maggie following behind, hopping up to a large one beside Kangha's.
Time passed, and it seemed like forever, as the two forms sat in silence. Before Mismagius exited the room she had entered prior, looking somewhat confused.
"Is he gonna be alright?" Maggie said nearly immediately. Snapping the Mismagius out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, it seems like it, he simply fainted, just… somethings are quite peculiar, and strange."
"Like?"
"Well, it seems he fainted through a psychic type move… but he's a dark-type, thus meaning he cannot be effected. Additionally though, his body isn't normal, especially the fur on his tail, normal southern Zorua's don't have red tips, and they're not tear drop shaped."
"Yeah… He's definitely not normal."
"And thirdly… The most curious thing is that he's supposed to be evolved."
"What?"
"It's what it sounds like, with the amount of energy sitting inside his body, he should've evolved, and because of that, if he remains unevolved, it might be incredibly unhealthy for him."
"Hmm, yeah. Is there a way we could force him to evolve, cuz I think it's entirely subconscious for him… or something is preventing it altogether." Kangha finally said.
"Not really for Zorua's, there are no evolution stones for them, or a specific way outside of time, or training. But, an everstone, while it will prevent the evolution itself, it'll help stabilize his body."
"Through that, would we know when he would evolve and he can drop the stone, or is it just, until it's gone he'll evolve."
"Who's to say truly, this is a mystery even to me. I've been around for a very long time, so seeing this is a first." She said, before going back into thought. "Wait… I remember hearing stories of this occurring before… but only with pokemon that claimed to be human, is that the case here?"
"It most likely is, cuz it is something he has said before."
"Please keep this a secret." Maggie soke up. Mismagius nodded.
"Well, if that's the case, maybe an everstone shouldn't be used and see if the energy itself goes past his mental barrier, it'd be the best then, he'll most likely be experiencing small issues here and there, like fainting like this, but it's better to have his body adapt."
"I see, okay."
"If it's alright, would you mind bringing him for a checkup every once in a while, just so we can see if any progress is made."
"Of course, will do. Umm, would this situation get in the way of us becoming a rescue team?"
"No, not at all. Might be better, the extra training and guaranteed fighting experience will help in pushing this evolution, I'm sure."
"Awesome!" Maggie jumped up from her sitting position, eliciting a giggle from the other two. "Oh, but will he wake up soon?"
"I'm not sure on that one, a couple hours at most though, it's still early in the morning, so you shouldn't have to worry about a thing."
"Okay, good good."
"You can leave and I'll send someone to get you when he wakes up."
"Okay, umm should we just head back to your Inn to wait?" Maggie said, looking up at Kangha.
"Yeah, probably best." She said, nodding with a warm smile.
With that, the two left, saying their thanks to Mismagius, and made their way back the Inn. Upon entry, the small form of Kangha's child was still behind the counter, looking kinda bored, but energy returned to them, seeing the two enter again. They run from around the counter to meet the two. Kangha immediately picks them up and places them in her pouch, patting their head shortly after.
"Good job sweetie, I can take over now." Kangha said softly. She then made her way behind the counter to the plate of berries, which only seemed to be missing a couple from when they left. Kangha just giggled to herself, full well knowing the culprit, she picked up the plate and brought it over to Maggie who had sat herself at the same table as before. She placed it on the low table, crouching to do so, before simply sitting on the floor next to it.
"Thank you." Maggie said, before using a vine to grab a pink, peach shaped berry, with a lighter shade of pink dotting it, and covering the bottom. She took a bite of it and chewed.
"I'm sure he'll be fine, that what Mismagius said, and hey, you can still make your rescue team."
"Yeha, I know, but, I just hope this doesn't happen too often. He seemed like a really calm person when I first met him, but I guess, a lot of stuff must be going on in his head, and stressing him out."
"I think anyone would get stressed out if they were in a completely different world, without their memories, with only the knowledge that they don't belong and that they are what they aren't."
"Yeah that's true."
Silence followed after, being palpable in the air, as they waited for a messenger to tell them that their friend had awoken. Hours it felt like, which wasn't inaccurate. Kangha dealt with the occasional customer who booked a room for the night, leaving to return later. Maggie remained by herself in silence, lost in her head, worried about her newfound, and strange friend. Who was he as a human? She thought. Time passes slowly, before a voice comes from the entrance.
"The Zorua is awake now."
Author's Note: Yo howdy, I know this chapter was a long time coming, and it was quite a bit shorter than normal, which I apologize for. I also never planned on having little notes like this at the end of these chapters but hey, things change I guess. Anyways, just sorta had a lack of motivation an inspiration for awhile, writer's block hit real fucking fast. But anyways, i hope you enjoyed reading, chapters will probably continue to be slow for a bit, so I hope ya'll don't mind, talk to you next time.
