The end to Chimera's slumber was significantly less tranquil. Without warning, the Bagon's nose was met with a decidedly bitter olfactory overload as a foul-smelling gas flushed through his lungs and nose. Breaths were short and sporadic as his eyes forced open to take note of his surroundings.

He was sprawled out on his side, light raindrops audible against wood paneling proving that he was somewhere indoors. His face grew cross-eyed, seeing that a small, glass bottle containing a white powder was being supported against his nose by two vine-like appendages. Realizing that the uncorked container was the source of the irritating sensation, he pulled his face back, right ear being met by a startling voice,

"Oi, lizard-face, welcome to the world of the living."

Chimera leaned his upper body towards the voice, quickly raising a hand to wipe the drool that had accumulated on the left side of his mouth. The Servine's piercing stare providing a stark contrast to the Raichu to her side, eyes pointed towards the floor and paw raised up scratching the back of her neck. A few seconds of silence passed before Argon spoke,

"Chimera, I...we should really stop meeting like this."

The memories of what had just transpired rushed back into the Bagon's conscious. He gave a short chuckle, being quickly interrupted as needles of pain reverberated from his right cheek to the rest of his body. He raised his hand to the pain's source, cheek feeling numb to the touch,

"Yep, I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess. Literally."

Argon glanced to the left, levitating a wooden mug filled with a thick, blue concoction into Chimera's hand. The pain from his right cheek seemed to gradually subside with every sip of the syrupy-sweet liquid. Argon waited until the Bagon hid finished chugging the container, before raising her voice in a soft whimper,

"I'm really sorry for what happened."

"Don't be," Chimera quickly replied, "I asked for it, if anything I should be apologizing to you for forcing you to do that. It seemed like an idea that made sense when I thought about it, but in the end I pushed it too far, I'm sorry."

Her eyes gave a few quick blinks as her head lowered, "Are you sure? Alright, if you insist. The moment you hit the ground, I was just...terrified that I might have given you a concussion, glad to see you're ok."

A toothy grin replaced the melancholic frown on Chimera's face, "If it's any consolation, it was a really impressive punch, definitely knocked me off my feet."

A blank stare remained on Argon's face for a moment, broken when her mind recognized the Bagon's attempt at levity and let a chuckle escape from the side of her mouth, "Someday, you have to teach me how to make jokes like that on the spot, really helps to lighten the mood."

"If ye two are done apologizing to each other, I got a ship to run," Wendy interjected, causing the duo's heads to jump up and stare towards the drips of rain wetting the crew-quarters wooden floor as she stepped out into the storm.

The Raichu kept her eyes toward the door until it had closed, letting a moment pass before slowly bringing them to rest on Chimera as the room's illumination retreated to the tiny cracks in the door frame.

"P-Please don't take this personally, but I think there are some questions that should be answered while we're here," she stated, waiting for an approving nod from the Bagon before she continued.

"Ever since we've met, you haven't exactly seemed like a perfectly normal Bagon. Washing up on some random corner of the beach, being terrified of falling, not being able to use attacks that your species innately know. I don't mean to pry, but... is there something you haven't been telling me?"

"Oh...yes, of course," Chimera slowly replied, reducing his voice to a whisper while peaking towards the door, "if anybody deserves to know it's you. A quick question first, do you know what a human is?"

Argon spent a few seconds pondering the question, matching the Bagon's tone, "S-Sort of, I remember Executive Binair talking about them a couple times, apparently they're some sort of species in an alternate dimension," she closed her eyes, holding a paw up to her chin, "A few fictional stories exist about them, years back I read a couple about a human being turned into Pokem—" she froze, eyes shot open staring at the Bagon, "you're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

Chimera's silence was the only answer she needed,

"Arceus...what have I gotten myself into?"

"Nothing yet," Chimera hastily replied, "this shouldn't change anything, there's no world ending catastrophe about to occur, at least that I'm aware of. I don't know why I'm here, and to be perfectly honest I don't exactly care, just know that that's the reason I might have acting strangely sometimes, nothing else to worry about."

"One more thing," he added, " you're free to believe or disbelieve my claim, but I'd prefer to keep this a secret between you and me, if you don't mind. I just...feel that things will work out better if few people know."

A contemplative silence grew between the two, interrupted by the infrequent drop of water from the leaky ceiling. Though Argon couldn't see it, Chimera's body was inwardly quivering, faint whispering in the back of the Bagon's mind suggesting that the she was about to either shout or make a break for the door to have him committed to whatever the Pokemon equivalent of an insane asylum was.

"So...what's it like?"

"What's what like?" Chimera replied, subconscious voices vanishing ever so slightly.

"Being part of the human world," Argon continued, "did you remember anything about it?"

Chimera closed his eyes and scowled, silently appreciating that his recent forced rest had been relatively dreamless. A few seconds passed until the Bagon was ready to speak, content that he had found the right words.

"It's wasn't the happiest place, at least for me. Humans have a different...philosophy than what I've seen here, guess it's just in their nature. It's dog-poochyena eat poochyena, the haves and the have-nots. There are similarities, of course, a ship like this wouldn't seem too out-of-place in the human world, at least a long time ago, as well as the less...inviting people who accompany it. If I had to name the biggest difference between the two, I'd say it's in their potential. Here, there's this greater sense of...hope, I think. I have the impression that I can make something out of myself, that if I play my cards right success will be within reach, not so in the past."

He continued, Argon taking note how his voice wavering as he went on, "I know it's a lot to take in, but...I just don't want this to impact us working together, you've already done me a good turn, and I'd hate for any partnership to feel disingenuous because of this. You're more than welcome to call this whole venture off if you think that's the best choice. Hell, I very well might have if our situation's were reversed, and you were a Pokemon-turned human. At the end of the day, it's your choice."

Satisfied with what he'd said, Chimera waited expectantly for Argon's reply, a steep turn of the Draeke sending the narrow door frame's beam of light across her face like the hands of fate.

"You're either a human, completely insane, or the world's best con artist. After what you've said...I'm alright with thinking the former."

"You believe me?"

"You haven't done anything to make me distrust you yet," Argon continued, "and it would explain a lot. I can't imagine living in the world you just described, i-if you're looking for a place in this one, I'm content to try and help you find it."

Chimera closed his eyes, smile created from the Raichu's reply fading as images of blurred faces in clouded scenery popped into his mind,

"Just know that I appreciate you're faith, I'll try to live up to it. Being in the human world...wasn't all that bad, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some good times, didn't make some nice memories. There were people, not that many, but one or two who put up with me who I enjoyed interacting with. I probably wouldn't have met them if not for the going through all of it. But...it wasn't worth it at the end of the day, not by a long shot."

"W-What's the last thing you remember?" Argon asked, paw raised to her chin in curiosity. "It sounds like you didn't come here willingly."

In truth, it was only the second last thing he remembered, but that didn't make the memory any less poignant. The murky faces disappeared from his mind, replaced by feelings of sorrow and darkness that were no more clear. He was in a tall place, brown glass bottles of various sizes sat strew across the carpeted floor. Every emotion that had been in his mind seemed to have been amplified, accompanied by a dizziness that had plagued every thought. Periodic beeps came from the answering machine haphazardly fallen from a table, increasingly accompanied by the pleading voices of his once forgotten friends. He remembered the sharp chill of the wind, the tiny gaze of red and yellow headlights from above against the night sky, thinking about how the gaze would become increasingly larger after his feet had left the—

"I...I'd rather not talk about that, " Chimera replied, jamming his eyes closed as he forced the offending memory away, "let's just say I blacked out and washed up on that beach, it'll be better for both of us. I'm sorry about the secrecy, it's just that...I'd rather make a fresh start with that forgotten."

Argon nodded, conscious suggesting not to press the topic any further. Minutes passed as Chimera's story replayed through her mind, eventually drawing a paw to her mouth as she attempted to hide a few solitary chuckles,

"What's so funny?" Chimera asked, the toothy grin returning to his continuance, "I thought I was the one who laughed at poor times,"

The smile concealed by her paw left with short sigh, "I-It's just...think about it, a human, t-the scientific discovery of the ages, is transformed into a Pokemon and taken into this world. He washes up on the shore, and of all the hundreds of thousands of Pokemon who could have potentially found you, of all the famous explorers or historians who would have been more qualified, it ended up being me, Arceus has a strange way of thinking..."

"Don't sell yourself short," Chimera replied, "there's probably a hell of a lot more worse 'mons who could have found me. And like I said, this shouldn't change a thing."

Argon nodded as she let the reply fully sink in, Chimera instead being the one to speak up,

"I'd hate to be a downer, but I still need to find out why my theory failed, and if we're able to fix it."

At this, the Raichu was forced to pause, vision of the Bagon in front of her loosing focus as her mind pondered. A minute passed before it was shot back into focus, the grin the had formed from having the realization being cut down as its full consequences were considered,

"Chimera, I-I've put some thought into this while you were knocked out, and now that I know you were a human, I think I might the answer, it's...not good though. I'm not sure if this is correct, b-but you might not ever be able to breathe fire if what you say is true, or it'll at least take a very long time." Argon replied, voice getting ever slower as she stared back at the Bagon.

"Why not?" Chimera shot back, voice a mix of urgency and confusion, "You said it yourself, any Bagon should innately know how,"

"B-Because...I-I think it's like evolution in a way. When a Pokemon gain's new elemental powers, like I did when I became a Raichu, it might take weeks or even months for you to be able to accurately use any of your new abilities, because your instincts are still adapting with how your body and mind changes. Turning from a human to a Pokemon in the span of a day...you might not have any of those instincts to begin with, nothing to tell your mind how to control any organs it hasn't already used."

Chimera stared back incredulously, before slamming his hand to the ground at no one in particular,

"So that's it then, I'm left with no choice but to charge my enemies head-on? You saw how frail I am, I'll probably get sucker punched into a wall the moment I try to headbutt somebody."

"Not...exactly," Argon replied, answer synonymous with her opening a canvas bag by her side and levitating a disheveled amalgamation of pebbles, spikes, and thorns onto the floor, "I-I brought some of these for you, just in case. I had a fair amount when I first started at the guild, they're used a lot by some of the fighting and normal types."

Chimera eyed the various objects, reminiscence of sitting in the backseat of his parent's car staring at two vertically stacked screens reminding him what they were. His mind and hand settled on a silver spike buried under the pile, a quick toss proved it had a hefty weight to it, and a decent enough balance to be considered throwable. The spike's edges were revealed as jagged and dull as he ran a finger across its edge, sections no doubt chipped off due to tosses from its previous owner landing against hard rock. He gave a short glance to Argon and pointed at the empty wooden mug lying on the ground, head motioning upward. Reading the cue, the mug was surrounded by a pink aura of light as it floated to the other end of the room, moving in a slow circle against the room's wall as if an imaginary person was juggling it. Chimera gave one last glance to the silver spike before rising to his feet, balance shifting as he spun his body in a full circle to gather enough momentum for the throw. Once his outstretched hand was pointing toward the target, he released his grip of the spike, sending it souring across the room in an arc.

He missed.

A heavy grunt was replaced by a long sigh, as Chimera closed his eyes and looked towards the ground,

"It's these useless, stubby arms! How am I supposed to throw anything with these?"

Before Argon could interject, Chimera stomped across the room, giving an audible grunt as he kicked over one of the various wooden crates lying across the floor. The crate was knocked sideways, flimsy top breaking apart as it's contents spilled across the floor. The Bagon was just about to release another yell, most likely audible enough to catch the attention of a particular Servine, when he froze, eyes glued to the various odds and ends strewed across the deck. It was a collection of scrap metal and wooden planks, likely used for emergency repairs to the Draek in the event of a hull breach. Thin metal beams jutted out of the pile, accompanied by tubes about the length of a line of rebar, if he had the tools, the metal and oak could no doubt be forged into something useful...

Without another word, he shifted his gaze up, walking slowly to a set of doors leading into the lower decks despite the bewildered gaze of the Raichu at his side. Although the cabin turned darker as he proceeded down the stairway, a cursory glance around the cargo lining the floor revealed what he was looking for:an unassuming steel oven, connected to a brick chimney leading to the top of the ship, of which several simple iron-forged tools hanged. Next the forge's moderately sized anvil was a short wooden desk, of which a barrel full of woodworking tools sat on the far corner. On the other end of the room was an impressive pile of coiled hemp rope used for ship rigging. If he could take some, treat it with candle wax and keep it under tension...

He ran back up the stairs, again passing Argon as he grabbed a handful of sticks and iron spikes,

"N-Need my help with anything?" Argon asked is he ran by, perplexed expression not leaving her face.

"Oh no, you're fine," Chimera quickly replied, smile not leaving his, "it's just...inspiration strikes. I'd recommend you get some sleep, this might take a while."

Though the Bagon had bolted back through the door, Argon could not help but notice that he had left it open. Curiosity peaked, Argon retrieved her backpack from the door and followed, ready to see just what the human had in store.

Argon was half tempted to grab a quill and start taking notes as she observed Chimera scurry through the lower decks. A thin layer of paper began formed on the floor as the hours passed by, designs for inner mechanics furiously sketched in ink only to be crossed with a large X across the page and cast aside. The soothing echo of the Draeke crashing against the ocean current continued as the designing phase ended, accompanied now by a near constant mix of whetstone scraping against steel, steel flicking against wood, and the piercing sizzle of molten hot metal components being taken from the furnace and submerged in a bucket of water. With little else to do, Argon retrieved a wooden fife from her bag and began to practice as the Bagon worked, starting with simple scales and progressing to slow-paced melodies learned through muscle memory. The gesture was highly appreciated, drawing a cheerful glance from Chimera whenever a splinter or burn from the construction process nearly forced a swear out of his mouth.

Hours more passed, and the Raichu had long since gone into slumber when she was awakened by another swift turn of the Draek, nearly sending her side towards the ground as she lost her balance. Getting up, Argon eyed Chimera to see him gazing back with a giddy smile, holding the fruits of his labor. In his hand was on object unlike anything she had ever seen, no doubt because, until this point, no Pokemon had ever felt the necessity to see one. The Bagon ran his hand down the contraption of wax sealed string, polished oak wood, and forged steel with an innate sense of wonder, as if he was discovering a passion long-lost to the twists and turns of life. In all honesty, the device did seem a bit...crude to Argon, but the display of its power quickly belayed that suspicion. Chimera reached toward his hip for a short, wooden tube hanging from a freshly sewn canvas belt. From this, he retrieved a spike all too similar to the one used in his previous attempt at throwing, sharpened edge glistening off the dull glow of embers from the forge. Placing the now wood-fletched spike on the contraption in his arms, he pointed it at a familiar wooden mug, lying on top of a crate two dozen feet away. The bolt flew true as the crossbow's extended trigger was pulled, sending it spinning across the room and knocking the mug off of the crate, front tip forming a steep cracks in the grains of wood.

Though it had been unorthodox, Argon found herself returning Chimera's smile as he turned toward her, happy herself that any assumptions of his prowess had been proven false. As Chimera raised a hand to wipe away the sweat the had long since accumulated on his brow, he gave one last appreciative glance to the devise in his hand and the partner at his side,

"This should help."