A groan escaped his lips as he stretched out on the floor of the room. As beautiful as the crystal tree was, it became rather old quickly. It was almost the only thing in the room that seemed to catch his eye. Otherwise the room was almost drab in comparison
Rowan rolled over onto his side as he stared at the wall once more. The only light that was in his "cell" came from small candles that somehow gave off ample light despite their size. Along the walls were simple banners draped across them with a single emblem of some sort.
Getting up, he walked over to it to get a better look at it. Rowan still was getting practice on how to move with his new body, but he managed to make it without stumbling. The emblem, like the banner, was simple, but highly detailed. As far as he knew many pokemon had opposable thumbs to work like he or any human could, but his imagination went from 'mon to 'mon trying to come up with a theory on how it was made. Too engrossed in his own curiosity, Rowan didn't notice the sound of the door opening.
"Incredible," Rowan said to himself.
"It's not that special," a voice behind him replied, spooking him.
"Jesus!" Rowan yelped and tried to whirl around but instead entangled his legs within themselves and fell onto his side. Before he could right himself, a pair of vines coiled around him and lifted him to his feet. Rowan instantly recognized the voice as Felix's.
"Chill out man," Felix snickered. "You're a friggin handful, you know that?"
"Sorry, sorry… I just got kinda focused," Rowan apologized. "Did you need something?"
"Yeah, Chloe wants to talk to you," Felix replied. Rowan frowned at the sudden summons. Up until now, she normally came to visit him personally. Whenever she couldn't she would at least send a nurse from another team. A part of him felt uncomfortable with the situation.
"So uh… The warden decide I'm well enough to be released? Or am I marching to my doom here?" Rowan joked halfheartedly. Felix didn't seem to like the insinuation.
"What the hell? It's only been a week Rowan. If she wanted you gone, she would've shipped you off to Team Cosmic and let you be their problem," Felix spat. Rowan flinched at his words. "Just because you're having a hard time remembering your past doesn't mean you're forgiven for forgetting what she's done for you."
Rowan felt himself lower into the ground at the snake's verbal onslaught. Having kept up with the lies of his lost memories weighed heavily on him. As much as he deserved the tongue lashing, he still felt compelled to defend himself to some degree. He couldn't tell Felix the truth, but maybe he could at least get him to understand him on some level.
You're right, I'm sorry." Rowan replied softly but as his anger and frustration swelled within him, so did his volume. He quickly began to yell.
"But have you thought about my position in all this? I woke up in a completely new place, surrounded by strangers! And you know what the first thing I see? A red eyed snake glaring at me! Who wouldn't freak out?
Caught off guard by Rowan's sudden anger, Felix sputtered as he tried to find his words, but Rowan continued venting his stress. A part of himself was surprised by the amount of it he had built up within himself unknowingly.
"I'm then bound and gagged! Left to dangle in the air like a fucking christmas tree ornament from your damn vines! To make things better, I have no idea where I am or why I'm here! I'm then told I can't even so much as leave the building!"
By now Rowan had taken a few steps towards Felix, With his paw he jabbed the serpent repeatedly as his tirade continued. With each poke, Felix tried to back away from the angry Glaceon only for the gap to close and to be poked once more.
"It's been a fucking week, and I haven't even seen so much as the fucking sky, so sorry if my humor is a bit dark, but its the only thing I have left to blow of steam here!"
Felix gulped as his back hit the wall, leaving him with no escape amid the storm of frustration. Thankfully Rowan had run out of gas and was staring daggers at him, expecting an answer.
"L-look man, I know it sucks right now, but you just gotta be patient a little longer. It's why Chloe wants to talk to you right now. There's other stuff going on beyond just you okay?" Felix stammered.
"Whatever." Rowan muttered, putting a bit of distance between them. The two sat in silence for a painful minute. Rowan eventually sighed and broke the tension in the air.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to blow up on you like that. It's not like it's your fault I'm here."
Felix shifted his weight as he scratched the back of his head with a vine.
"Yeah well, I didn't do you any favors so uh… I'm sorry too" Felix replied. "Let's go see Chloe. I'll try to fill you in another time. Deal?"
"Deal."
"You cannot keep putting this off," Vrid stated angrily. "It's time."
Fergus sat in his small chair as he nodded in agreement.
"I agree with Vrid. The lad has had plenty of time to recover. We need to keep our end of the bargain here."
"Fergus, you only care about the money involved, and you know Vrid only wants to pick at Rowan's brain just to sate his own greed for knowledge" Chloe replied angrily. "I've already told you that he doesn't have any memories of what happened!"
"Oh sure!" Fergus yelled, clapping his paws. "Lemme wake up and spill me secrets to someone I just met. That'll be fun! And another thing lass, worrying about money is my job . Have you forgotten?"
"He could be lying Chloe," Vrid nodded. "I doubt it was out of malicious intent, but Fergus makes a good point. If you were in Rowan's position, would you do anything different? I'm willing to be patient for our side of the agreement, but it's not good to keep someone locked away and hope they get better."
"Okay… fine." Chloe sighed. She was still suspicious of Vrid's true motives, but his logic was sound. All week Rowan had been in that room, patiently waiting to get the news he could be free. However, being hit with a sound argument from Vrid left her with no choice. Besides, Rowan was an adult and could make his own decisions on the matter. The most she could do was to offer him asylum if things went south.
"Just try not to overwhelm him okay?" Chloe asked. "Felix says he's been having problems walking. That can't be a good sign."
Vrid nodded at her request while Fergus scoffed.
"Aww, should I hold his wee paw?" Fergus said mockingly. "Yer being played Chloe."
"Shut the fuck up Fergus." Chloe snapped. The otter grumbled as he crossed his arms as he gave her a dirty look. He was about to snap back at her but a knock at the door interrupted them.
"I do believe our guest has arrived," Vrid said with a smirk. Chloe felt a chill go down her spine.
"In here," Felix said as he opened the door for him. Despite his nervousness, Rowan was excited to meet new pokemon. The idea of seeing new faces after a week was appealing, fresh even. In the end his excitement won out over his nervousness. . Just seeing how small the other rooms in the building were seemed kinda strange to him. The room with the crystal tree dwarfed everything else he had seen, even the ceiling was lower.
He thanked Felix for his help and entered the new room. In the room, sitting on cushions in a circle, were Chloe and two other pokemon he hadn't learned the names of yet. The Alakazam floated slightly above his cushion, his legs folded under him.
The Psi pokemon seemed to be greatly interested in him.
"Guess he might be the one from Team Cosmic," Rowan thought to himself.
In the next cushion sat a small orange otter. Rowan immediately recognized him as a Buizel and felt his adrenaline spike. While the pokemon seemed to be in a sour mood, Rowan couldn't help but be excited by his presence. He got to see two new pokemon in one day! He felt like he was on cloud nine.
"Interesting" a voice echoed in his mind. "I imagined you to be excited to see others, but not quite like this."
"I don't recall giving you permission to be reading my thoughts." Rowan said out loud with a grimace. Above all else, he valued his privacy. Psychics could easily communicate with other pokemon through telepathy, but he didn't consider the possibility of his own mind being read now that he himself became a pokemon as well.
"Vrid, we just talked about this. Leave the psychic stuff out for now." Chloe said sternly.
"If I must." Vrid said as he closed his eyes. "I am Vrid, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you forgive my rudeness. Most psychic types communicate with our minds as though they were our mouths. I did not mean to offend. It was as instinctual as breathing.
"M'names Fergus," The otter introduced himself next, his speech mired in a thick accent. "I'm the rescue team's accountant. Nice to see the face of the one we've been sinkin money into. Chloe's private quarters are immaculate innit?"
"Chloe's….quarters?" Rowan said slowly, bewildered. He looked to Chloe for an answer, but she avoided looking him in the eye.
"Aye lad. Our dear team leader seems to want to coddle ya until yer all better." Fergus continued.
"The rooms here are much smaller than my own," Chloe explained. "I thought it would be better to give you some space, literally and figuratively."
"You forget time lass. He's been cooped up in yer room for a week."
"Yes… Thank you Fergus." Chloe said with a slight sigh. Rowan could tell she must have been dealing with these two for quite some time.
"If you were given enough time and space to rest, I thought your memories would return." Chloe added.
"However a week has gone and passed. Fergus and I have agreed that ample time has been given for proper recovery. You sustained no physical injuries after all," Vrid said out loud. If Vrid was still reading his mind, Rowan had no way to prove it.
"I understand, then why am I here now?" Rowan asked. "I know Team Cosmic has some sort of stake here, but I haven't been told what or why."
"Laddie, we're only gonna ask this one more time," Fergus said as he looked him dead in the eyes. "We're willin to forgive ya….Well, they are, I'm not. I think you're a right numpty. Anyway, considering the circumstances, we need the truth. Vrid here will read yer mind for this one."
Rowan gulped as he glanced at each of them. Chloe continued to avoid looking him in the eyes. Fergus however stared daggers into him while Vrid floated silently. Chloe was the first to speak up.
"Rowan," Chloe gently said. "Do you really have no memories? Fergus is an ass, but we know you've been through alot. We have no idea what happened to you before we found you so we can't help if we don't know what to help. You understand?"
Sitting down on his haunches, Rowan let out a sigh. Out of options, he had no choice anymore. The truth was bound to come out eventually, might as well be on his own terms right?
"I understand," Rowan replied hesitantly. "Honestly, I still remember everything."
"I fuckin' knew it!" Fergus yelled, pointing at him accusingly.
"Fergus!" Chloe snapped before turning to Rowan. "Can you tell us why you lied?"
"It's hard to explain…" Rowan started. He struggled to find the right words. "The main reason was I didn't know if you'd believe me."
"You'd be surprised on what we would be inclined to believe." Vrid interjected. "For example, we found a dead human before we found you."
Rowan felt his blood run cold. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Did someone else survive the crash? How did he not find them?
"I'm sorry….what?"