"I appreciate the walk, but is this really...necessary? I'm all for giving these stubby legs some exercise, but it doesn't exactly make my sight come back any faster."
For all his moping, a part of Chimera appreciated the gesture. Early morning sunlight shone against the Bagon's scales, accompanied by swift wind that rustled the grass beneath his feet. In spite of the aching the plagued his four toes, he could still hear the crashing waves becoming ever closer. How long had it been since he left the comforting blandness of climate-controlled housing? When was the last time he had appreciated the allure of natural sunlight and climate in something other than a screensaver? Chimera didn't want to know.
"I-It's just...I thought it would be kind of fitting, you know? If you've really never been here before, why not make your first real sight one to remember? Do you want to sit down?"
Chimera released the paw that had guided him through cobblestone paths and inclines. With some careful direction from Argon, the Bagon took his seat were the grassy floor ended, letting his legs hang in the air. Such a gesture all but confirmed the cliffside geography where they sat. Memories, unpleasant ones, flashed through the blackness of Chimera's vision. He clenched his hands tighter around the grass, a part of his old self tentatively hoping they would act as a makeshift anchorpoint should he lose his balance.
"A-Alright, I guess this is as good of time as ever. Here's the heal seed."
The Bagon's hand took some bits of the grass with it as he reached out for his remedy. The seed floated into his grasp, seemingly without a paw holding it. Chimera gasped. Either she was standing over him with the seed tied to a fishing rod, or the electric mouse somehow had powers all too similar to the ones that had saved him from a watery grave. He was hard pressed to find the weirder explanation.
The seed was heavy in his hand. Its texture was surprisingly dense, like a bizarre cross of apple and walnut. He held it up to his mouth, jaws just about to take a bite before stopping.
"Something wrong? I-I didn't get the wrong seed, did I?"
"No, I don't think you did," Chimera replied, "but...we've gone through this much trouble, no need to rush the moment now."
Chimera lifted the seed to his forehead, a quick bash against the hardened surface cracking it in two. After a moment's consideration, he handed one half to Argon, drawing a curious glance from the Raichu.
"Do you mind if I tell you a little story while we're here?"
A weird request, but Argon figured she did have all the time in the world. If the entire point of bringing the mysterious Bagon here was for making his first impression special, who was she to deny his request?
"Yeah, by all means."
The Bagon grinned, staring between her and the restorative seeds in their hands.
"It's about this...fruit. I never got too into those stories back in the day, but I think given the circumstances it's pretty fitting. Essentially, there were these beings that lived in this perfect society. Or at least, they said it was, I was never too sure. They had everything they needed, but they didn't think, they didn't question."
"Is that where you came from?" Argon asked.
The seed in her paw was likewise starting to feel heavier by the moment. There were few places she knew of that matched the Bagon's description, and the most likely case was already beneath their feet.
"Not exactly. My life before I got here was pretty dull, but it fit some of those qualities. Anyway, they spent their lives living in quiet complacency until this...Arbok went to the two beings and offered them a bite from that fruit, promising them that it would grant them the gifts of knowledge and curiosity."
Being denied the former, the latter filled both pokemon in spades. Imagery filled in the blackness of Chimera's vision, attempting to predict what strange sight the Raichu had brought him over to see. Argon did her best to fill in such gaps that plagued her perception of the Bagon. A single explanation continued whispering into her ear, but she shut it out. It was too childish, too unlikely given the multitude of other ways the pokemon next to her could have been plunged into the tumultuous waves.
"It had a price," Chimera replied, tone growing dark, "they fell from that paradise into a completely different world. Biting into that fruit invited hardships, pain, insecurity. However, they also gained a new life out of it, one ripe for adventure and brimming with opportunity. I'm not sure if the story is true, but...I like to believe that those two creatures made the right choice regardless. They wouldn't live forever, but the pain they overcame added meaning to the life they lived, and the destiny they were given."
An interesting tale, yet one Argon had a difficult time believing. After all, if the legends of her own upbringing were to be believed, the instruments of life that gave pokemon intelligence, willpower, and emotions stemmed from an egg, not a tree. In spite of this, she couldn't deny the appeal of such a story, even if she had seen firsthand the consequences of living under such a philosophy. Her gaze drew to the halved seed before her, unable to decide if eating it would taste sweet, bitter, or combination of the two.
"And...you're telling me this because the heal seed will let you see, you'll gain that 'knowledge'. You do know the thing cost me maybe five poké to buy?"
They chuckled. The thought occurred to Argon that she could toss her half of the seed into the water below, and Chimera would be none the wiser, but for his sake she kept it close at hand.
"Yeah, I know," Chimera replied, "but...that's not the only reason."
The Bagon breathed deep. This was it. If he were to fulfill his own destiny, the events that followed would have to go his way.
"The thing is, I...I want that type of life. For the first time I sense that things are gonna get better, and I know what I'll have to do for that to happen. For me to stop being nothing."
"W-What are you trying to say?" Argon asked, subconsciously shuffling the badge on her bag from his sight. A pointless gesture.
"There must be some sort of guild here, I'm sure of it. I'm going to join it, and...and if you're willing, I'd want to be on a team with you."
Argon's heart dropped. She could walk away right now, she had done enough. It would be easy to leave the Bagon to his devices and avoid any of the risk teaming up with him would entail. Her dwellings were waiting, and after today there wouldn't be any shame in returning to the daily grind. She dropped the heal seed to the grass, using her now unobstructed arm to balance standing up. Whatever new life Chimera was speaking of, she was happy with the one she had.
For a second, at least. Argon looked toward the blind Bagon, mentally going over the circumstances of his arrival. A sigh left her mouth to be carried by the wind, taking with it any of the plans that had infected her thoughts. She sat back down.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid."
Three slaps from Argon's paw to her forehead punctuated the grumbling.
"Are you alright? If you don't want to that's completely fi—"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...you don't have anywhere you go, do you?"
Chimera chuckled bitterly to himself.
"How did you know? Not a coin to my name, nothing new there. Only way I can go is up."
His dark laughter spread to Argon. It would be simple enough to dump the Bagon off at one of the tenements around town with some coinage and call it a day. Arceus knew he'd be able to support himself easily enough at one of the factories. However, something felt...off about such reasoning. Strange as he was, Chimera had been more than cordial, likely the only pokemon around town she felt comfortable opening up to. The Raichu couldn't quite put her paw on it, but in that toothy grin pointed towards her seemed to be the potential to help a pokemon in need, as well as dip her feet into the one thing in life she had avoided. Her gaze lowered. Fortune never had a good track record for favoring the bold, but perhaps just this once it could make an exception?
"Well, the truth is that there is a guild on this region. I'm actually part of it, been part of it for a fairly long time. I've been by myself for a while, but...I suppose there's no harm in letting someone else share the rent. "
A ray of light shined in the Bagon's eyes.
"You mean—"
"...Y-Yes. Fair warning, my work in the guild isn't exactly the most adventurous, but I see no problem in forming a team with you. At least, for a little while."
Chimera turned to Argon, shifting his weight in her direction as he lunged forward. His intention was to give his new-found partner a celebration hug, only he had forgotten were they sat. He slipped. Bagon and Raichu yelped, the former's, much to his dismay, being higher pitched. For a split second, Chimera felt the wind rushing past his scales and gravity taking hold of his body. A few day ago, the adrenaline running up his spine would have made him cry out for his life. However, where terror should have been, the Bagon found something else.
Euphoria.
Chimera could barely describe it. Dopamine pumped through his body, seemingly out of his own control. A voice in the back of his head asked what would happen when he hit the ground, but he figured he could cross that bridge later.
Much later, in fact. The bizarre thrill faded as soon as it arrived, replaced by the same weightless, pressing sensation that enveloped his entire body. It felt different, however. The sensation flickered at random, as if it was slowly losing its battle to keep the Bagon in place. After a few seconds, it dissipated, unable to stop Chimera from dropping another inch before regaining its hold. Increasingly loud, pained grunts from a familiar source sounded next to where he had slipped.
"I-I'll let you drop if you want me to, but if you don't want to walk all the way back up here, take my paw."
In any other world Chimera would have interpreted that as a threat, but the way Argon had said it suggested both choices had equal validity. As exhilarating as the experience was, the Bagon didn't feel like cutting off their conversation just yet. He grabbed hold of her paw, retaining his seat on the cliff via some telekinetic assistance.
"Thank you," Chimera replied, finding himself breathless, "and don't take this the wrong way, but are you...experienced in this sort of thing? From your tone I couldn't tell if I was falling from a cliff or a chair."
Argon grunted in incredulity. The gesture brought out a gasp from Chimera, suddenly realizing his mistake. He was acting weird enough, best to not draw even more suspicious to himself.
"Well, not really," she replied, "it's just something I read a while back, that Bagon are hardwired from birth to favor jumping off cliffs. I-I...I guess that's part of the reason why I brought you here."
"...oh."
Chimera may have had T-Rex arms, but he wouldn't be getting panic attacks from the heights anytime soon. At least, that was what he hoped. The Bagon still wasn't sure if the seed in his hand would lend way to a shock-induced collapse into unconsciousness. He shook his head. No use beating around the bush anymore, fortune favored the bold.
"I appreciate it then, I suppose. Everything. I promise, you won't regret this. I'm sure this partnership won't always be perfect, but after some time, who knows? We both might learn something."
Partnership was a strong word for her newfound coworker, but a tiny part of Argon was inclined to agree. Chimera's enthusiastic grin, naive to the dangers of guild life, grew infectious. She glanced back to the sunlight horizon that extended out from the cliff. It wouldn't be long before the Bagon would finally be able to see it, finally able to appreciate a thing so quint and tranquil just as she had daily. The challenge that lay ahead was convincing him that it was worth having the time in life to experience such moments. When the Raichu turned back, Chimera's hand was holding out his half of the heal seed, as if to toast.
"To a new day! To memories long forgotten, and new ones about to unfold."
In spite of butterfrees flapping in her stomach, Argon returned Chimera's grin. Her eyes lowered to the seed in her own hand, feeling content to analyze the mundane item that the Bagon had given so much purpose.
"C-Come on," Chimera said with a chuckle, "don't leave me hanging."
She would return the gesture soon enough, but there was one last curiosity aching the Raichu's mind. Three waves took turns raising their voices against the quiet sand before her own.
"T-That story you're equating," she asked, tone soft and inquisitive, "we're both taking a bite, but if you're the one offering it to me...what does that make you?"
"Me?" he said, glint from his tooth cut off by a tree's shadow, "I'm just a pokemon trying to make their way in the world, same as you. There's a lot of decisions I'm gonna be making in the future, and this...this is just one of them."
A soft crunch echoed through the cliffside, followed tentatively by another. Slowly but surely, the numbness around Chimera's eyes faded, letting the former-human finally gaze upon the world he had been gifted, and the partner at his side.
"It's...amazing."
It was. Waves as smooth as glass spread out for miles in the distance. Sun's rays refracted down the center of the horizon, reducing the Bagon's unprepared stare to a squint. Palm trees danced in the wind, between sandy beaches forming a circumference that went on for miles. His head slowly turned, another of many gasps escaping his mouth toward the pokemon at his side.
The Raichu was unlike any he could remember seeing in the past, but that did little to faze. Short, orange and white fur lined her body, outlining puffy ears and yellow cheeks. Her eyes were a cobalt-blue, darker than even the scales across his own arms. Chimera didn't know what to expect of the pokemon that would be the key to fulfilling his own destiny, but the creature before him certainly fit the bill.
For the first time, the Bagon could see the smile that returned his own toothy grin. The optimism in his face almost let Argon forget the bitter-sweet aftertaste left by the heal seed.
"I-I-uh...this might be a little redundant since you washed up here yesterday, but...welcome to Faire."
"Faire?" the Bagon asked.
"Yep, the place that I, and I guess you now call home. It's a lot different once you get more toward the inside, but I can't fault the view."
Chimera nodded. His eyes reglued themselves to the coastline, forcing his head down without a conscious thought. Any notion of the fears of his old life returning disintegrated as he stared toward the layer of sand several dozen feet below the cliff's edge. Exhilaration built up to a level nearly foreign to his entire lifespan. For a brief moment, his eyes shot back to Argon.
"You remember when you caught me from falling off the edge?"
Argon grinned, she could see the Bagon's feet growing lighter.
"Of course. You look like you're at ease, done fighting something?"
"I hope so...gravity."
He jumped. The Bagon's sprinting start from the cliff's edge let him linger in the air for a brief moment, before nature's laws took control. It was an exhilarating experience, but also a clashing one, for just as his feet left the ground Chimera felt another emotion he had thought forgotten returning with vengeance.
Terror.
A tiny voice whispered that such feelings weren't logical, that the rocky bone over his forehead was built to withstand such falls. For all intents and purposes, It should have been a cakewalk. However, being able to actually see his own danger, another voice, ten times as powerful screamed that it wasn't right. Half the former-human's mind forced his vision to the ever accelerating image of the sand below, and the short arms that provided at least a pittance of familiarity from a body that hadn't been his. He screamed, crying out in terror for a partner with instinctual realization that he wasn't flying, but falling.
Psychic aura wrapped itself around the Bagon, before breaking apart in a single wave's crash. Argon, having rushed to the edge of the cliffside with befuddled eyes, was much too far away to save him. Though Chimera hated to admit it, his cries carried with them a stark realization: While his blue scales were a complete replacement of his former self, the mind was a work in progress. The Bagon's eyes shut, last thing he saw being a large, diamond-shaped shadow rushing under the waterline. Whether Chimera would end up no worse for ware, or he'd void the warranty on his newly gifted body with a snapped neck, was for fate to decide.
Fortunately, fate had another surprise in store for both. As Argon peeked over her flailing partner, theories for the Bagon's origins being gained and lost by the second, the underwater shadow broke. In its place, was a creature that glided through the air toward Chimera, humongous fins behind two large antenna spread like a kite.