...

"What's your name?" The ball of light in front of me asked. It's voice was weird, I couldn't tell if it was a male or a female. It was like... Some kind of voice replication, not exactly a human voice. Anyone else would just get scared in a situation like this one: No memories of your own past and you are in some kind of dark space where you can't see anything in the distance. No walls, nothing...

Yet, with all the calmness of the world, I could respond with "I don't know," being as sincere as possible.

"It doesn't really matter…" the Voice responded. "Soon you'll be resurrected. Your real name will not really matter in this real world. I'll warn you now: You are no hero. You are no legend. You are no one in particular. Don't do stupid things or you'll die. Always keep that in mind."

...

Well hello there. You've seen this before so I suppose I should let you know what my situation is right now, right? Welp... Let's start with the basics. What you really need to know is I have no name as of yet. But I at least know my species name. I am a Mudkip.

Yep... I'm a Pokémon. I feel like I was a human before this. I can't tell exactly why, as I have no memories of being a human... But I know what I am at the moment it; isn't what I once was, if that has any sense. It's kinda weird to explain. But I suppose that doesn't really matter much...

My first day was quite an exciting one if you could say that. I woke up near a lake, right by the shore to be exact. The lake was so huge it almost seemed like a coastline to me. Behind me a long span of trees stood, strong and robust. I could tell there was a forest behind me. Normally one would see that and think, 'Woah, a forest, let's go over there and find someplace to pass the night so I can survive in this new environment', right? Well, if you know anything about Mudkips, you would know what I did…

I instantly fell in love with the lake and jumped straight in! I had quite a hard time walking; I was still learning how to do so... Now, swimming? It was almost as if I was naturally born to swim. I swam across the lake for a whole hour happily, getting used to my new body without much care in the world at all.

However...soon I kinda realized something, Without food, I'm not gonna survive for much longer. My belly was already roaring with pure hunger, so I figured the obvious thing to do was go up and search for some kind of berry tree or something, right?

Well first off, I suppose I should say this: If you are expecting the story of a Hero, this ain't the story you're looking for. I am a normal person who just wants to survive. A normal Pokémon... I kinda figured I wasn't going to be able to survive solely on water, so I already tried to go underwater and eat some kelp; maybe that was what I needed, right?

Nope.

Then I tried my next idea: I got out of the lake slowly. With my senses in full alert mode, I didn't feel safe outside the lake. But I needed some kind of fruit to survive, so I went deep into the forest, exploring around and looking for anything to eat. Luckily enough, I did manage to find something: Apples! Apples the size of my head! 'This will surely be enough!' I thought. It was kinda hard to get them down just by climbing. However, almost as some kind of instinct, I headbutted the goddamn tree so I could make the apples fall!

...It hurt like hell, but it seems like my small body did contain some power. As a single apple fell off the tree, I gained some odd feeling of pride in my chest.

So that was it, right? The apple is going to fill my belly and I can return to my beloved lake...

Wrong! I ate one apple and was sated for like... I dunno… Less than half of my "hunger meter"? And I'm gonna be honest: I didn't want to headbutt the goddamn tree again. So apples were a no in this case... However, this did teach me something interesting about my body...

The ball said I was not special; I knew I wasn't... However, maybe the species I am part of, the 'Mudkips,' despite their small size, do have some degree of higher strength... However, there's also another thing: the apple I ate was the size of my head, as big as it can get. Juicy and all that... However, it didn't sate me.

I came to a conclusion. A theory... Maybe my species requires more food than I expect. Maybe it was the fact that the overwhelming strength of it forces the body to consume more energy than expected.

Alas, it didn't really matter, did it? Making assumptions isn't going to feed me.

So I went out to try and gather other fruits, and... Well, let's explain some things: I am not the only Pokémon around. I think that's obvious, right? I did notice and start to see all kinds of living creatures around me, though they mostly avoided me.

I saw some birds flying over the trees. Some kind of squirrel-like creature with big cheeks, some purple rats running past me, but nothing that seemed threatening. They acted and reacted like animals, of course. They ran away, occasionally giving me curious glances before returning to do their things. There wasn't much of interest; why would I try talking with Pokémon anyway? Although... I am a Pokémon myself and I seem to have a certain degree of intelligence… Maybe they do as well? Or maybe it's something exclusive to my species.

Ah! Yeah! The food! So as I was exploring, good luck hit me: I found berry bushes all over the place! Although they weren't particularly big compared to the big apple I ate earlier, they were abundant and were close to the ground, so getting them and eating them was as easy as walking. I ate at least fifteen of them before I was full. Some of them were blue, those were my favorite! They were really tasty. They had a certain mix of fruits I can swear I had eaten before I became a Pokémon. There was the pinkish one that was just...mwah! A sweet among sweets... And there was that one I disliked: The Purple one that was tough to eat with a certain dry flavor with it. But, beggars can't be choosers, right?

As soon as my stomach was full of berries, I felt sleepy. With a long yawn and with my body practically moving by itself, I returned all the way to the lake.

And those were basically my days for the first week or so, I woke up, Went out of my way to get berries so I can eat, and came back to the lake, Throwing myself to it and dozing off to sleep, I''ll be honest... It was incredibly relaxing, Although occasionally I felt lonely, Don't mind me, Those fishes that sometimes swam through some times gave me some company, There was that one that looked like a Carp and those ones that were gray and small, Magikarps and Remoraids respectively, Their names kinda came to my mind after seeing them for so long. But they didn't gave any conversation, At best they ran away when they did see me. At worse, they kinda followed me around for a while, Rubbed against me once or twice, and then leave, No interactions besides rubbing...

However, That all changed the seventh day, My first interaction with... Someone who is seemingly as smart as I am

"Sooooo... Who are you anyway?" A childish voice surprised me when I was going on my daily routine of collecting berries, Eating, and returning to the lake so I can sleep the rest of the day away, I met him.

He was a brownish bird, Standing on top of a branch far above the floor, Looking down at me with his head tilted a little to the left.

"...Eh?" For the first time in a long, LONG time, I did let out a sound through my mouth as I looked up at the bird, It took me some seconds to process what was going on... And I think the bird realized thanks to my eyes spread wide open with pure surprise

The Bird kept his head tilted "So ya are not one of the wild ones! Cool! Otherwise, ya would have either attacked me already or, I dunno, screamed yer own name for some reason." And with that, filled with overconfidence I was not, in fact, a 'wild one', whatever that means, used its wings to fly down from the branch to the floor. "But that doesn't answer my question, Does it? Who are you?"

"..." It took me some time, I was still with my eyes wide open, mouth completely open in pure surprise... Until now, No other creature has talked to me and I kinda haven't used my voice in a long time, So... That had two effects on me, One, I just confirmed there's Pokémon out there that have the same level of intelligence that I do... And, second, I was needed to get used to it, I can understand its language, It's English... So maybe if I speak back in English...

"You... Can... Talk..." It was kinda hard getting the words out of my throat, I haven't talked in a really long time so this was my first time having an actual conversation.

The Bird tilted it's head, Clearly confused... I was really worried that it wouldn't understand me and that maybe I do have, in fact, another language... But when it replied "Of course I can talk, I just talked, Didn't I? Still... Ya haven't replied to my answer, Who are ya? There has never been a sight of Swamperts around this zone. Unless ya are some kind of Traveler's merchant child or something, There's no sense for ya to be here!" The Bird said. It seemed really confused about my existence.

"I... Live... In... Lake." I answered, I didn't really know what to answer to the bird's question of who I am, Because... One, I don't really have the words to truly explain it, With my actual speech impediment making it even harder... And if I did had the words and no speech impediment, What I am supposed to say? 'I came here because the light ball told me I am supposed to be here'? It would sound like I am insane!

"Yeah, I know that, I have been seein' ya by flying by last three or four days, I dunno. Ya are pretty noticeable when ya are outside of the lake, Y'know? But that doesn't answer my question, Why are ya 'ere, Huh?"

Welp, I was kinda in a hard situation, The only thing left to do is tell the truth... In part "I... Don't... Know. I... don't... Rem-Remember" It seems like I have troubles with words that are too long like Remember.

"Ahh... I see, I gotcha, Pal! Ya don't remember where ya come from, That sounds tough, Man..." It seems like he believed me, Not like I was telling a lie, but at least that should put a stop to the questi- "Why ya speakin' weird 'nyway?"

Jeez, Another kind of hard one to answer "...Haven't spoken... In-a... Long Time." I answered, With my butchered speech, Although I could feel how I was starting to grasp back the language.

"Ah! I see! Ya are one of those kinds of... Pokémon that live outside of the villages 'n all that, Right? Hm..." The Bird hummed in thought, Looked up at the sky "I could probably take ya back with me to the village if ya want, No need to thank me, Y'know? I know I am a good soul that only does good actions 'n all that."

And, Of course, I accepted and I went out of my way to join them in their village, meet a ton of new frie- "No... Thank you..."

...Okay, Okay, I know what you are thinking, But let me explain, Although I suppose this explanation will not satisfy anyone... In this long time where I have been alone, I've kinda realized a few things about myself and about what I like, I like eating. I like sleeping and, Over all other things... I like lazying around like the lazy person I truly am man, Yes, I know, not so long ago I was feeling lonely, But just having this conversation is tiring me out, It's consuming way too much energy, I kinda want to just... Go to the lake and doze off yet again.

What I am trying to say is, Meeting new people is way too much work for me to enjoy, I don't really want to go to a village... For now, At least until I can improve with my own speech impediments and I get more used to my body, Still to this day I still occasionally get my face smashed against the floor because I kinda lose the pace.

I kinda expected the Bird to just say 'Okay' and fly away... What I didn't expect was its reaction.

Its eyes got kind of wet, It was looking directly at me, I could kinda tell it was frowning, Although it's... Kinda hard to tell due it not having a human face, I just got the feeling "Y-Ya can't stay out here! Don't ya know that Wild Pokémon could easily eat'cha!? It's a miracle ya are still alive!" The Bird, for some reason, seemed in the border of crying.

And i really, REALLY didn't want to deal with this, I even considered just walking away from this trouble I seemingly got myself in somehow, However... I also had a certain pit of guilt inside of me, Could I really leave some kid crying in a forest without trying to comfort it or anything? I said I am no hero but... I am not some merciless animal that will go around making kids cry and then leaving!-

"Uh... Don't cry... Bird Friend... I... Uh..." Come on, Think of something to solve this situation in the most harmless way possible

"B-But ya are going to die out here! Ya don't know about all the kids that get eaten out here all the time due to wild Pokémon!" It kept crying, Seemingly getting louder and louder

"I am... Gonna be... Safe..." This was starting to get really hard, I really wanted to leave now yet my sense of guilt wouldn't allow it

"I don't believe'cha!" it replied, It's cries getting, somehow, even louder.

"I promise... How I can... Make you... Believe?" I was starting to get desperated for it to stop! I wanted him to stop! Not even for the guilt anymore! The sound... The goddamn sound, It started to hurt!

"Ya need to promise ya'll let me come 'round to check on ya! In the lake!"

"...You can... Come and check... Every day... Just... Stop..." I finally said.

"Okay, Cool." ...And the Bird instantly stopped crying, looking directly at me, Now I somehow got the feeling it had a huge overconfident grin on its face... And in that moment, I could instantly tell... That SNAKE! He tricked me into saying those words, I should have been able to tell its intentions from the start!

...The Bird should have seen how my expression went from being worried for the poor guy to pure, sheer anger over being tricked like that, as it took flight to rest on a branch away from my reach "Ya look like ya coul' kill a Golem with that sight, Friend-o! Not gonna lie? Kinda scary... Oh, Yeah! I haven't catch yer name yet! What's yet name? My name is Berry! A pleasure to meet'cha!"

"I..."

"O' course! I am dumb! Ya don't 'member 'nything, right? Well! Tell ya what! I got the perfect name for ya! Yer name from now on will be... Muddy! Get it? 'Cuz... Y'know... Mudkip? Marshtomp? Swampert?"

...I Still don't know what those are, He previously mentioned a Swampert... Maybe those two names are related to me in some way... Regardless, My new name... Muddy.

"...I... Hate it..." I genuinely disliked it, Okay? Why i would be called Muddy anyway? I understand Mud from Mudkip, but... Like... I can get a better name, please? Muddy sounds too stupid!

"Well, It doesn't matter, Friend-o! Unless ya got a bette- Oh crap! Look at the hour! It's getting way too late, Shoul' start heading back before pa gets all angry with me... Listen, We'll talk later, Okay? Okay! See ya tomorrow! In this spot! See ya!" And, yet again, before I could even answer... It took flight, flying away.

...

The whole conversation brought me to a state of pure tiredness, I was just... So tired I didn't waste a single second as i walked all the way back to the lake, I wasn't even able to get food but... If i was taught something today by the Bird is that the night is dangerous and staying out may end up with me dead, So i just... decided to go and sleep.

However... I can use this to my advantage... It's clear i don't know about the world as much as it does, I don't even know the concept of Wild Pokémon... Maybe... I could use Berry as some kind of information source.

Eh... Those are thoughts for later... For now? I just want to sleep, So i threw myself to the lake yet again... And i passed away.

END OF CHAPTER 1

Hey! Guys! It's the writer here! Thank you for reading until the very end, I hope you all liked this! It was quite an odyssey write a fic in English, I am not exactly the best at English, But at least I tried!

I want to thanks to my friend, Karl Kadaver, for helping me with the writing of the entire first part, I also want to say that I hope some of you could leave me reviews in telling me what you liked and disliked about the story! A Writer doesn't improve without some critique, Right?

See you in the next chapter! Buh-bye!