Well guys, it took a month and a half, but here's another chapter. Things are getting busy so it might be a hot minute before I post another one. My excuses are (in no particular order): school, Netflix, life in general, Fallout 4, poor time-management, and life in specific situations. If you like the chapter, hate it, don't really have any particular feelings for it, or think I should just light my laptop on fire and throw it off a cliff, feel free to let me know what you think.

Chapter 2

I could feel my consciousness slowly coming back to me as I lazily rolled over in my bed and tried to bury myself back under its warm confines. I smiled as I basked in the softness of my pillow and thought about that rollercoaster of a dream I had last night.

"Woah, that sure was crazy. I don't think I've had a Pokémon-themed dream since grade school, and I don't remember it being nearly as… detailed as that one was. I even feel exhausted like I really did just get done fighting for my life." I thought as fatigue and soreness seemed to radiate from every part of my being. "*sigh* But, that's all over now, and I'm back in my wonderfully average bed, in my wonderfully average apartment, in my wonderfully average life without a noctowl or an eevee in sight." I sighed contentedly and pushed myself deeper into the bed as I felt my body relax and start to doze off again. I took a final deep breath and noticed a faint smell drifting through the mess of blankets.

Perking up a bit, I sniffed at the air more intently and was greeted with the tantalizing aroma of roasted fish that made my mouth start to water. "Mmmmmmhhh, that smells good. It's been a while since I had fish. Come to think of it, it was probably the last time I went cam-, wait, why is my roommate cooking fish for breakfast?" I thought perplexed. My answer came abruptly as I was interrupted by an obnoxiously loud growl from my stomach and realized that I was ravenous. "Hahaha, whoops. Looks like I slept in all the way to lunch (or maybe even dinner). Guess that means I missed all my classes today, too… damn. Oh well, one day won't kill me, and after that dream, I feel like I need to take it easy anyway."

With my grogginess quickly melting away and being replaced by hunger, I took a few more quick whiffs of air and began to move the blankets off myself. However, the task was being much more difficult than it should have been for some reason, and my thoughts returned to my prospective lunch.

"Huh, the guy's usually a lousy cook, but he's got it smelling exactly like how I cooked it whenever I went camping. It smells like he even used the same seasonings, too. Heck, there's even the faintest hint of wood… smoke…" My inner monologue stopped, and my motions slowed as I pictured our lone electric stovetop and the distinct lack of a fireplace anywhere in the apartment.

I tensed as I felt my heart begin to beat much faster, and my mind raced to reach its inevitable conclusion. My genius of a roommate had somehow caught the kitchen on fire while trying to cook... again.

With renewed vigor and slight panic, I began frantically kicking the blankets off and rolled over the side of the bed. Landing hard, my eyes shot open as I began pushing myself to my feet only for me to stop before I barely even started. I looked to the ground and saw, well… ground… as in the dirt variety, along with two light blue paws. Thinking back to my dream and feeling a lump forming in my gut, I cautiously finished standing up and scanned my surroundings. This was definitely not my bedroom.

The room I had woken up in was a bit more spacious than my own and didn't have any of my personal effects. The floor and walls looked like they were made of hard, compact earth with only a single opening off to the side that looked like a doorway. It was mostly barren of furniture with the only exception being a desk and a fur-covered bed that looked custom made for a someone of my size. There was also an ornate wooden chest huddled up against a wall near the bed. Speaking of walls, they at least had a little more life to them. They featured an assortment of colorful paintings depicting various nature scenes. The one I was currently looking at was a particularly beautiful mountain themed one which hung above the bed. Against the wall opposite of me, the wooden desk sat mostly empty and seemed to serve the sole purpose of collecting dust.

Deciding that I had seen everything there was to see, I turned my attention to the one thing I hadn't really investigated, yet. I slowly twisted my head around and looked at the furry body that I knew was mine and thought about my 'dream'.

"It… wasn't a dream. That was all real. It is still real. I am an actual pokémon. I did battle an actual eevee. And I was actually brought to some place called Pokémon Village by a noctowl." Trying to remain calm and process all that again,I took a few deep breaths and relaxed my thoughts as I stared at my tail. It was moving at a languid pace back and forth like a metronome, and I quickly found myself entranced by its movements.

"Ah, I thought I heard you get up. We were beginning to think you would sleep straight through lunch." Startled, I jerked my head back to the room's opening. I saw the head of a zoroark peaking over the side as she brought the rest of her body into view. Due to her height, I had to sit down to get a good look at her. I noted that while she looked mostly like how I remember them from the show, she wore a satchel at her side and had a distinctly more… feminine and human appearance than I would have expected. I'm not sure how to describe it other than that the extra fluff on her chest and the curve in her hips made me instantly recognize her as a female. She was actually sort of nice to look at.

"Wait, what? Oh God, am I physically attracted to her?!" I thought with some alarm and slight disgust. "No, that can't be right. I mean, she's not even human! No, I'm just making curious scientific observations about the possibility for sexual dimorphism in certain pokémon species. Yeah, just scientific observations." I consoled myself.

Before my lizard brain could start whispering sweet nothings in my ear, I noticed her looking at me with a raised eyebrow as I hadn't responded yet and was just staring at her. "You okay? You look like a pumpkaboo just jumped out at you." She said inquisitively as she leaned against the earthen opening.

Shaking my head out of my thoughts and back to reality, I looked back up at her with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Oh, uhh, sorry. I just wasn't expecting to wake up here… or see you for that matter." I said before realizing that that may have sounded a bit rude. "No offense or anything. The bed was really comfortable, and it's been a while since I've woken up to see such a beautiful w- *cough**cough* er, uhh, landscape painting." I finished hurriedly and pointed to the picture above the bed. I quickly shut my mouth with a strained smile, so I wouldn't say anything really stupid. "Nope, nope, nope. We're not even gonna think about that. Just focus on surviving right now, brain."

At my near faux pas, her expression became more incredulous as she stopped leaning against the doorway and looked at me more closely. "What are you talking about? Breeze should hav-" She stopped mid-sentence as a look of realization fell over her before she let out an exasperated sigh and slumped a bit. "Wait, let me guess. Ol' Breezy didn't tell you where he was going to drop you off at, or who you would be staying with?" She asked in a tone that wasn't really a question and did nothing to belie her slight annoyance with the situation.

"Ha-ha, not really, no. He mentioned that I would be sharing a home with somebody and that a zoroark could teach me a few things about the forest, but that's it. In his defense, though, I did pass out pretty quickly after the battle, and he didn't have a whole lot of time to go over the specifics with me."

Crossing her arms, she let out huff and pinched the bridge of her muzzle while muttering to herself. "I swear, that crazy old bird is getting worse with age. He just dumps him off here without even telling him anything and then flies off to do who knows what."

After finishing her grumbling, she returned her attention back to me. "Well, nothing for it now. My name is Whisper, by the way, and Breezy already told me that your name was Blue, right?"

At a quick nod, she let out a mild scoff and continued. "Ha, I thought he was pulling my leg with that one. Anyway, speaking of the battle, good on you for showing that eevee and her trainer a lesson. Although, it looked like she got some good hits on you when Breezy brought you in here." She stated with a mild touch of pride and concern. "We had Abby come by earlier and heal some of the nastier scrapes and bruises that weren't going to fade while you slept. She also left one of her special concoctions for you to drink before lunch that's supposed to finish getting you back on your feet."

Seeing my questioning gaze and before I could even ask, she decided to expand on who that was exactly. "Abby is a gothorita that acts as the town medic and local mad chemist. I've known her all my life, and she's a good gal. She's just a bit… eccentric about things. You'll know her when you meet her." She said while reaching in her bag and producing a small vial of purplish-blue liquid before handing it to me.

"Fair warning. Abby knows her stuff and if she says this will get you up and going again, then it will. She usually prefers function over form though so don't expect it to taste good."

Thankfully, the bottle was small enough for me to grip, and I managed not to spill any as I reached out and brought it closer for inspection. However, I quickly scrunched my muzzle and held it further away as the mixture's odor hit my nose. It was… stout for lack of a better word and with a hint of berries. It honestly reminded me more of something that belonged under a vent hood than actual medicine.

"Ugh, this is probably going to taste as bad as it smells, too. Better just down it and get it over with." I thought sourly before turning it up and trying not to let any of its contents hit my tongue. I failed tragically as the liquid was thicker than I thought and dragged itself across my taste buds. I was, however, surprised to find that I had been wrong in my original assumption. It tasted much worse than it smelled.

Gagging as I felt the toxin invade my body and trying not to puke, I heard Whisper stifling her laughter at what would assuredly be my demise. "Pfft. Hahahaha! Yeah, I remember the first time I drank one of her potions. That had been one wild night. Come to think of it, that was actually the night I met Pierce during one of the festivals the village was hosting that year." Seeing that I was busy trying to wipe off my taste buds and couldn't respond, she continued. "Pierce is my husband if you were wondering, and he's also the one who did the paintings in here and pretty much all the other ones you'll see in the village. The one I commissioned from him that night is still my favorite, though."

Giving up on scraping off my tongue and finally able to use my mouth again, I looked up to see her staring wistfully at one of the paintings. "Ugh, yeah tha- *urp* -sure sounds romantic and all, but couldn't your friend have at least flavored her 'concoction' with something besides death?"

"Trust me, I've asked her the same thing. Her response is always the same 'But Whispy, if I make them taste good then people will always be asking for them, and I'll never have time for my experiments'." She mimed somewhat mockingly while taking back the now empty vial. "So yeah, I'm not expecting her to come out with a new bubblegum flavored one anytime soon."

Despite the foul taste that still lingered in my mouth, my stomach took the opportunity to remind me that I hadn't eaten for at least the better part of a day and broke the silence. Smirking at the sound and my slightly visible discomfort, she turned back with a small laugh to what I guessed was a hallway. "Ha, I think I agree. No point in delaying lunch any longer, and you'll probably want something to wash down the aftertaste, too." She said as she beckoned me to follow. "Pierce, had to go to the river to check up on something, so you won't see him until later tonight. However, you can still meet my daughter, Sonata."

Following her down the hall, I saw more paintings decorating the walls and two more entrances that branched off to my left and two to the right. While the first three had dark curtains draped over them, the last one was left uncovered. Before we walked past it, I was able to make out what looked like a master bedroom with some basic furnishings along with an easel and painting supplies propped up in the corner.

We then entered a larger atrium style room that had a dome-like ceiling with paned skylights letting in the afternoon sun. It seemed to act as a living area/workspace with another entryway further in front of us. It was a fairly humble abode with a dormant fireplace tucked in the corner on my right surrounded by some disheveled furniture. To my left, was a wooden front door with large yellow tinted bay windows on either side of it. However, from my angle, the only thing I could glean from the outside world was some bright yellowish-blue sky dotted with a few clouds. I did get a glimpse of a mismatched flock of flying-type pokémon, though, so there's that.

Against one of the walls near the entrance, there was bookshelf next to a paper-covered workbench that had an over-flowing waste basket underneath it. The workbench held various sculpting instruments and a few wood working tools along with some unfinished projects. I wouldn't call them masterpieces in-progress, but it was clear that a certain level of skill and experience had been used in their creation. On the other side of the room, there was a table that had been partially cleared off and had what looked like an unfinished game of checkers on it. Red seemed to be losing quite badly.

"Don't mind the clutter, Blue. I normally run a tighter ship, but this morning has been a little more hectic than usual."

I wouldn't have exactly called it messy or cluttered, but I decided not to comment and just nodded as we went through the dug-out entryway and made our way into a kitchen area. As we entered, my attention was quickly drawn to the source of the smell that had awoken me. Nestled against the far wall, an older rustic-looking wood stove sat with two plates of that heavenly fish on the counter next to it.

Shifting my attention further to the side, I saw a low sitting table with four cushions around it. On one of those cushions sat an adorable dark grey fox. She was idly munching on the fish in her paw as she eyed my approach warily. Besides a different coat color, she also had a black mane and a deep red tuft of fur on her head that matched her eyebrows. It was hard to tell with her sitting down, but she looked to be about the same size as me.

"Huh, so that's what I look like. Well, with blue and brown instead of red and grey anyways." I mused as I continued to look her over. "Yeah, the boys at Pokémon HQ knew exactly what they were doing when they designed her. They probably mass produced the plushies before they ever even thought about releasing her generation to the public. She's just too damn cute." I reasoned while noting how fluffy she looked. "I wonder how much trouble I would be in if I 'accidently' pet her?" Moving my gaze back to hers, I hesitated in my step as she apparently hadn't been appreciating my observations and was giving me an icy glare. "Probably best not to find out today then."

I put on my most sincere smile and got ready to try and smooth things over before she got the wrong idea as we reached the table. However, before I could correct my poor first impression, Whisper was already motioning me to take a seat across from Sonata which only made the zorua's frown deepen. "Go ahead and take a seat, Blue. I'll get you some water and bring your plate over." She said while going to one of those old timey ice boxes and filling three cups from a chilled pitcher inside. "And what did I tell you about waiting on us, Sonata? Also, be nice. Until Construction can make him a place to stay, Blue is our guest, and I expect you to treat him as such." She chided as she brought us our waters and the two plates.

I hastily took my cup and tried to rinse out the still lingering taste from the earlier potion, but it seemed to cling to every surface in my mouth. Making no progress with the water, I grabbed one of the fish and desperately took a bite out of it hoping that the seasonings would penetrate the now filmy coating on my tongue. Carefully avoiding the bones and chewing slowly, I swallowed and stared at the previously aquatic animal. Nothing, just more of that poison, albeit milder than at first. Disappointed with my tainted palate, I looked back up at my two hosts.

Sonata was watching me incredulously before she turned toward Whisper with a more apologetic look. "Sorry Mom, but we've been waiting on him forever already. I was practically wasting away over here!" She exclaimed somewhat dramatically as she rose on her haunches and pointed to her completely nonvisible ribcage. She then pointed her fish at me accusingly with a grimace. "Besides, he was the one leering at me, and I know you saw that. Whose side are you even on here, Mom?!" She exclaimed before returning her fish to her plate and causing Whisper to frown. "And I still don't understand why we got stuck with him in the first place either."

"There are no sides, Sonata. He's just feeling a little overwhelmed right now so cut him some slack. As for why, Breezeway said he needed a place to stay and for someone to show him the ropes around here. We have your brother's old room going unused, and last I checked, your father and I have plenty of experience with zorua. If he's going to stay in the village, then we'll need to show him that we're a community and that we all help each other." She explained before pausing to take a bite of her own fish. "Also, because we said he could stay here, and that's the end of discussion."

Sonata, clearly not happy with that answer, briefly returned her glare to me before silently focusing back on her food. Still feeling hungry myself, I followed suit and opted to let her cool off a bit before trying to patch things up.

"Well… that could have gone better. However, I don't think she really wanted me here to begin with, so I was kind of starting out on the back foot with her anyway. I mean, I wasn't expecting her to roll out the red carpet or anything, but I was hoping for something a little warmer than that."

Glancing up, I noted that the tension in the air was still pretty strong as Sonata kept her eyes glued on her plate while Whisper chewed her food thoughtfully. "*sigh* At least Whisper seems to tolerate and care about me, even if it is probably more out of maternal instinct than anything else. Hopefully, this Pierce guy will give me the same chance, and they'll help me get my footing here. If I'm lucky and play my cards right, I just might have a chance at surviving long enough to find a way out and back home."

Breaking me from my thoughts, Whisper decided to be the first one to speak and caught her daughter's attention. "You know, Sonata. He'll also need some help learning to work with the illusion around the village. Which, by the way, I've decided is going to be your responsibility whenever we get done with our jobs in the evening."

"What!? Bu- but, that's not-"

"Ah! No buts. Consider it a punishment for eating without everyone seated again and for being rude earlier. Besides, it might take them a while before they can get around to digging something out for him. I suggest you take the opportunity to try and make a new friend, or, at the very least, learn to live with him. He will be staying here for the foreseeable future, and that's that." Whisper admonished with finality before letting out a silent sigh. "Now, apologize for earlier and say hello."

With a grimace, Sonata looked back to me and then back to Whisper who held her gaze for several seconds. "Ugh, fine." Sonata relented sharply before giving me a levelled look. "Hi, I'm Midnight Sonata, but everyone just calls me Sonata. Sorry for the cold shoulder, but I'm not a big fan of uninvit-" she was interrupted by a growl coming from Whisper that made her rethink her words, "-of surprise guests first thing in the morning." She finished with a strained expression before thinking and adding one more thing. "And I really don't like strangers staring at me."

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I'm just not used to seeing another zorua or zoroark. In fact, you two are the first ones I've ever seen. Well, not counting myself of course." I apologized while extending out my paw. "Also, you can call me Blue."

She stared at my paw like I had just used it to kick her puppy but otherwise made no move to reciprocate the gesture. "Hmph. I already gathered that your name was Blue, but what do you mean, 'You've never seen another zorua or zoroark before'? What part of the forest have you been living in where you didn't occasionally bump into another family or even your own for that matter?" She asked suspiciously as I brought my paw back to myself. "You're at least as old as me, so even if you lived as a hermit, you should have ran into some others by now."

"Well, my parents weren't zoroarks, and I'm not actually from this forest, either. This is kind of my first day here."

"Your first day? So, where exactly did you come from then? And what were your parents? Were you adopted or something?"

Clearing my throat and hawing for time, I groaned inwardly and tried to think of a good answer for that. "Ugh. Why did I just tell them that? I haven't even had time to stop and come up with a believable story, yet. I obviously can't tell them the whole truth, or they'll think I'm either crazy or just flat out lying. *sigh* I guess I better keep trying to be as vague as possible. If they pry too much, I can just say its personal and hope they drop it." I concluded as Sonata began looking impatient at my stalling.

"Weeeellll… I, um, wasn't raised by pokémon actually. I've grown up around humans ever since I was born, and they've always treated me well. I haven't interacted much with other pokémon either, so almost everything here is new to me." I said carefully while gauging their reactions. Sonata didn't really seem phased besides looking at me a bit oddly, but Whisper, surprisingly, looked very displeased with my answer for a moment before adopting a more neutral expression.

"As for where I'm from, that is… a bit harder to explain. I just woke up in the forest this morning with a killer headache and with no idea of how I got there. I've never heard of the Winding Woods, this village, or Snowbelle City, so it's probably safe to say that I'm a long way from home. And to be honest, I'm not really sure of how to get back yet either." Sonata's stare seemed to intensify by a magnitude and was starting to make me shift uncomfortably on the cushion as she scoffed at me.

"Pfft. You just woke up here? Without any recollection of how that happened? And you've never heard of one of the most recognizable cities in Kalos?" She said flatly and with absolutely no sympathy for my situation. "You'll have to forgive me if I find that hard to believe."

"Breezeway said he was telling the truth about not knowing where he is or how he got here, Sonata." Whisper curtly interjected. "The old bird might be off his rocker, but he usually knows when someone is lying. Something I believe you're familiar with if I recall a certain snorlax incident correctly." For some reason this made Sonata's ears fold back as she lowered her head. "And then there was the time when you and Firelight nearly burned down the mess hall." Whisper grinned as her daughter's cheeks flushed, and she covered her face in her paws. "You also managed to put a hole through the roof of the stockpile once after you thought you could be part flying-type and had Shank build you the 'Zorua Launcher Mark II'. You're lucky that the mareep and wooloo got haircuts the day before, or you would've had much more than just a dislocated shoulder and a broken leg. I still cannot believe he built you that thing, let alone a second one after the first broke." She recalled with no small amount of agitation before returning to ribbing her daughter. "Then there was that time you thought it would be funny to swap Louie's conditioner with green hair dye. Or that other time when you and Tabbi took all of the White Domnia flowers Abby had been saving and-" Sonata apparently had enough as she burst upwards frantically waving at Whisper.

"Mom! Stop! I get the picture. Breezeway found out what happened each time, and he's caught me in every lie I've ever told him. Please just stop talking about all that stuff! It's ancient history, so let's just forget that those things ever happened." Seeing her mother smirking but otherwise staying silent, Sonata took a few seconds to compose herself and turned back to me.

"Well, at least your name makes sense now. Only a human would name you something like 'Blue'." She commented lowly while pursing her lips contemplatively.

"Alright, so let's say you're telling the truth. Let's say you really are some poor lost soul who has no idea where he is or how to get back home. The way I see it, that leaves you with two realistic options for how you got here. A) You hit your head while exploring the forest and have a bad case of amnesia, and your human 'family' is somewhere in Snowbelle. Which means that sooner or later someone's going to come looking for you. And, with any luck, you'll be out of here and back with them in no time. Or B) You pissed off a really powerful psychic who was able to manipulate your memories, and you're going to end up being nothing but trouble for us." She said crossly causing me to sigh. Her skepticism is probably justified, but right now, it's just plain annoying.

"Look, Sonata. I know this entire situation sucks, and I'm sorry you're having to deal with some random guy getting dumped on your doorstep. If I could have done anything to prevent this, trust me, I would have. Unfortunately, I didn't get that option, and I'm willing to bet that I'm not going anywhere for a while. So, can you please just try to work with me here?" I somewhat begrudgingly pleaded with her. I shouldn't have to say any of this, but if I don't make an attempt at nipping this in the bud now, we'll just end up being at each other's throats most of the time later.

She at least seemed to be considering my words as she continued to stare through me for several seconds. "Hmph, we'll see. But I'll be keeping an eye on you, so you better just have a concussion and be someone's lost pet."

"Thanks. I'll, uh, take that as considerate optimism for my eventual return home. Until that happens though, I promise not to impose too much on you guys and pitch in where I can. Oh, and no more staring either. Again, sorry about that. Breezeway didn't get a chance to tell me much about where I would be staying, and I wasn't really expecting to wake up here." I assured her with a hopeful smile and extended my paw back to her. "So, we good?"

Staring at my outstretched paw with much less contempt than last time, she finally relented with a sigh and bumped hers against mine. "Maybe. Neither of us have much of a choice here, so I'll give you a shot. But, if you blow it this time, you won't get another." She warned as she glanced over at Whisper to see her disapproving gaze. "What? I said I'd give him a chance. I promise nothing about us getting along or me trusting him."

Sighing, Whisper got up and began collecting the empty plates and cups. "I guess that's as good as I can honestly expect. Just don't forget to start teaching him about connecting to the illusion later."

After tidying up the kitchen, we made our way back to the living room. Sonata sauntered off to the couch and picked up a book that had been resting on the coffee table before jumping up and getting comfortable. Not really sure about what I should do next, I looked up to Whisper.

"Well Blue, I would offer to show you the den, but you've already seen most of it. The first room on the left down the hallway has the bathroom, and the two rooms on the right are the master bedroom and Sonata's room." Whisper said motioning back down the hall as Sonata peeked over the couch.

"And, just in case I have to tell you Blue, you better not be going in there unless I give you express permission to." Sonata warned.

"No worries, I really didn't plan on it."

With a harrumph, she went back to her reading. "Wow, she is really paranoid about me for some reason. Surely me looking at her for slightly too long didn't set her off. I wonder what her deal is. Then again, there might not be a good reason for it, and even if there was, I doubt she'd tell me... Well, no point in worrying about that right now. I should probably learn some more about the village and ask for a tour later."

"So, Whisper, you mentioned you had a job here earlier. What exactly do you do?" I asked turning towards her as she straightened up the workbench.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Sonata and I are primarily part of Foraging. Officially, I'm head of 'foreign acquisitions', which is just a fancy way of saying that I'm in charge of getting any supplies we need for the village that we can't make ourselves. Usually, that entails purchasing or *ahem* responsibly reappropriating human tech from Snowbelle, but we also trade with other pokémon settlements from time to time. However, it's been a little slow lately, so I've been mostly coordinating our outside assets while pitching in with the field groups that go out into the forest. It comes in handy to have someone that can make herself look like a dragonite and scare off anything that could give us trouble." She explained without looking up from her task.

All of a sudden, a large shadow passed over me causing me to look back and flinch. Behind me, there was a very imposing seven-foot yellow dragon that I recognized all too well, and it looked pissed. Its eyes were filled with nothing but hate as purplish flames engulfed its maw and erupted towards me.

"I know that thing is just an illusion, but holy crap this is terrifying!" I internally screamed and screwed my eyes shut out of instinct. After a second of not feeling anything, I opened my eyes to see Sonata looking over the couch with satisfaction as she lightly panted.

"No illusions in the den, Sonata. Unless, of course, you want me to have you reassigned with Cap and cleaning out toilets for a few days." Whisper said with slight annoyance at her daughter's antics. "And don't be so wasteful on something that flashy. You could have gotten away with using a lot less detail."

"*huff**huff* Worth it, though. The look on your face was priceless, Blue. If only I had a camera." Sonata lamented and dropped back down to the couch cushion. Steadying myself, I looked back over to Whisper to see her moving towards a nearby cabinet with an armful of tools.

"Don't mind her too much, Blue. She doesn't normally act like this, and I think she'll just need a little time to get used to you."

"Right. Hopefully sooner rather than later if I don't want to fall over from a heart attack. I knew it wasn't real, but that was still really intense. Is that something all of the other zorua are able to do or just her?" I asked genuinely curious about our limitations. Whisper briefly paused as she thought about my question.

"Hmm, I'll admit. That was fairly impressive considering she hasn't evolved yet, but she also has plenty of practice from foraging with the others in the forest. Most zorua her age could probably make something similar, but they wouldn't be good for much else afterwards." She said as she closed the cabinet and made her way over to me. "In fact, I can guarantee that that took quite a bit more out of her than she's letting on. Making a projection like that is a lot harder than using yourself as a base and molding the illusion around your own body and movements. Like so."

Even staring straight at her, I nearly missed the moment when the air around her shimmered and her form became blurred with green and white. Blinking to refocus my eyes, I was a little stunned at seeing a gardevoir standing in the same spot where Whisper had been in. From every angle I looked at her, the façade was perfect, and I would have never guessed that it wasn't real. Giggling at my expression, Whisper did a little curtsey causing her long white dress to flow around her.

"Wow, that's incredible! You even sound different, too. But, how exactly does that work if it's just an illusion?"

"With enough practice and some natural talent, we can manipulate a few of the other senses such as hearing, touch, and even smell. Although, sight is definitely the easiest and is usually the first thing zorua learn to do. Just bear in mind that the more complex you make an illusion the harder it will be to keep it from falling apart and the more energy you'll use to keep it going. For something like this, I can keep it up indefinitely as long as I don't do anything too crazy." She helpfully informed me as I continued walking around her trying to find a fault in her disguise.

Getting brave, I reached out to touch her dress only for my paw to phase through it completely. The part of the dress I tried to touch shimmered briefly, but the illusion held strong as she smirked and adjusted herself.

"Hmmm, alright. Now, try that again, Blue." She said with a smile. Doing as she commanded, I reached for the dress again and felt actual resistance this time. Running my paw across it, I noted that it even felt like silk or maybe some other kind of smooth fabric.

In the blink of an eye, the dress disappeared, and Whisper willfully returned to normal. I then belatedly realized that I was petting the end of her ridiculously long ponytail. I quickly jerked my paw back and put some respectful distance between the two of us.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that. Didn't mean to get in your personal space or anything."

"Nah, its fine, Blue. Besides, it was a good learning opportunity." She reassured me before Sonata chimed in from the couch again.

"Yeah, but you'd think that he would have figured some of that out by now even if he's never met another of his kind before. Don't you know anything about what you can do, Blue?"

"I didn't even know what I was until that trainer used his pokédex on me earlier this morning." I responded flatly leaving Sonata looking stunned.

"…Wow. Just, wow. How have you managed to make it this far?"

"That's a good question. One that I've been asking myself more frequently as of late."

"Pfft. Whatever." She commented dismissively before looking back to Whisper. "When did you say that Breezy was going to get here, Mom?"

"He said he would come by around lunch to check on him, but who knows with that bird. We might not see him until noon tomorrow."

With impeccable timing and possibly from some kind of divine intervention, a loud pair of wing flaps could be heard from the front of the home as a large avian landed on the doorstep. Whisper was already moving to open the door as the first few knocks came and revealed that the visitor was indeed a familiar looking elderly owl.

"Ah, Whisper. I hope I'm not intruding on anything."

"No, not at all, Breezy. Please come in. Blue woke up just before lunch, and we've already eaten. Would you like me to warm you up something?" She offered while closing the door behind him.

"Thank you, dear, but no. I ate before I came over, which is one of the reasons I'm running a little behind schedule."

"Anything wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing to worry yourself over." Breezeway said while waving off her concern. "Now, where is our newest addition?"

His answer was pretty immediate as I was still standing in the middle of the living room. "Ah, there you are, Blue. It's good to see that you're up and about again." He said warmly while walking over to me and bringing me into an embrace. "How are you feeling, kiddo? I trust that Whisper already fetched Abby to take a look at you after I brought you in."

"Yeah, she left me some kind of potion that I'm pretty sure has done permanent damage to my taste buds, but I do actually feel like I have more energy now." I explained while noting for the first time that I wasn't nearly as sluggish as when I woke up.

"Hmm, yes, the taste is usually an unfortunate side effect of her creations and certainly leaves much to be desired. It should subside in a few hours. Personally, I've been asking her to come up with something milder for my arthritis, but it seems my suggestions always fall on deaf ears." He said with a ruffle of his feathers. "Nonetheless, we should stop by her home along the way and give her our thanks. Her potions are nothing else if not effective."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, and I wouldn't mind meeting her. But, uh, along our way to where, exactly?" I questioned as Breezeway seemed somewhat confused at my ignorance.

"Hmm? Oh. Pardon me, I didn't tell you this morning that I would be taking him on a tour of the village after lunch did I, Whisper?"

"No, I think you left that part out, actually. In fact, there are a couple of things I would like to discuss with you later." Whisper said with a slight edge in her voice.

"Oh? If you're worried about providing for him, I can promise you that we'll extend any extra resources you'll need while he's staying in your care."

"Thank you, Breezeway, but that wasn't what I was referring to. It's nothing too serious, so don't worry about it. We can talk about it later." Whisper reassured him while turning to address her daughter. "Would you mind going with them, Sonata? If they're going by Abby's, I would like you to give her back her vial. You know how moody she gets if we don't return them."

"*sigh* Alright, I wasn't going to get to finish this book anyway." Sonata lamented before hoping off the couch and donning a pair of makeshift saddle bags that I hadn't noticed before.

"That won't be an issue will it, Breezy?" Whisper asked while passing the bottle to Sonata.

"Ha! Of course not! The more the merrier as they say. Come along, you two. It's high time you got to take a gander at our little slice of paradise, Blue." Opening the door, he motioned us out and looked back toward the den's matriarch. "Don't worry, Whisper. I'll have them back in time for dinner." He said with the utmost confidence as he closed the door behind the three of them.

Whisper watched from the window as the trio walked down the front steps and sighed as she felt a migraine coming on. "And to think, I almost had a weekend off for once." She briefly bemoaned with a pout before heading for the back entrance with newfound determination. "Better get in touch with Overwatch and see if we can find out some more about our guest and track down his trainers. I am very curious as to how they would have gotten ahold of a zorua egg in the first place."

Following Breezeway outside, I was momentarily blinded by the bright midday sun. After blinking away the spots in my vision, I was greeted with something right out of a fairy tale. All around me were lush green plains and hills with homes built into them. Each home was different and seemed to have its own personality with some having a more modern vibe while others tried to blend in with the nature around them. Some of them even had solar panels mounted on top of their grassy knolls, and it seemed like most of their residents were out enjoying the early spring afternoon. Pokémon of all shapes, sizes, and species could be seen enjoying themselves. Most were either lounging around in the sun and chatting or playing in the grass and wildflowers that surrounded the paths connecting each home to a well-trodden dirt road that snaked down the hillside. Sans the panels and pokémon, the whole scene was very reminiscent of the Shire from the Lord of the Rings.

Some of the pokémon I couldn't recognize but others at least held some familiarity. Like that normal castform, who was floating down from the sky to a kecleon that was filling up a water pail at a hand-pump well inside his garden. Right as the kecleon finished, the castform jumped into the bucket and soaked up its contents. Moving quickly, the chameleon tried to catch the thief but wasn't fast enough as the now water-type castform flew up in the air laughing mischievously.

"DANG, NABITT! GIT BACK DOWN 'ERE YA GOOD FOR NOTHING VARMINT AN' GIVE ME BACK THAT WATER!" He hollered as he literally turned multiple shades of red. The pseudo cloud partially fulfilled his request as it emptied a deluge of water onto him. Shaking with rage and dripping wet, he watched as the now normal again castform floated away with laughter and resigned himself to grumpily filling up the pail again.

"Come on, Blue. We don't have all day." Sonata called back to me as her and Breezeway steadfastly ignored the scene and continued walking in the direction of what looked like the town center in the distance.

"Quite the contrary, Miss Sonata. As far as I am aware, none of us have anything scheduled today, and foraging doesn't usually send out groups on Saturdays. Of course, you don't have to accompany us all the way, but I'm sure Blue would appreciate another familiar companion on our little walk. Perhaps you will be able to offer him a more relatable perspective than I can provide." Breezeway suggested as I raced to catch up to them, so I could interject.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Sonata. I'm sure I'll be fine if it's just me and Breezy."

"*sigh* No, its fine, Blue. Mom wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I went off and did my own thing anyway." She said with exasperation as we passed other pokémon that were busy sending idle acknowledgements to Breezeway. Most of them ignored Sonata, but I seemed to garner some strange looks from a few. Occasionally one would stop to briefly chat with our guide, and Breezeway would introduce me to them. Honestly though, I probably couldn't remember a single one of their names a minute after meeting them.

"As you can see Blue, this is one of the residential districts of the village and is where most of the homes are situated. We have another one next to the river on the west side for pokémon who prefer living closer to the water and another one at the edge of the forest to the north. My roost is in the tallest cedar there if you ever feel like coming by for a visit."

"Sure thing, Breezeway. Once I get settled in, I'll be sure to swing by." I said while giving him a reassuring smile. I did tell him I would listen to some stories after all, and the poor old coot probably doesn't get many visitors in the first place.

"So, Breezeway, what are the solar panels for? I don't exactly see any power lines around here."

"Ah, yes, that is one of our ongoing projects. We don't have the ability or resources for a grid, so to speak, but we have been trying to get as many homes hooked up to a power source as we can. It has been quite the boon for those of us used to the luxury. Unfortunately, some of the parts we need are harder to come by than others, so many dens still go without. I'm not really privy to the specifics, though. That's something Whisper could tell you more about."

"Well, that's sort of convenient, I guess." I said with a bit of relief before turning to the zorua beside me. Maybe I wouldn't be completely roughing it out here like I had assumed. "Hey Sonata, does your house have-"

"Yeah, we do. In fact, you will be very happy to know that we even have an electric water pump connected to some kind of heat pump thing Mom scavenged from Snowbelle's dump. We're the only den in the village without a fire-type to have hot water on tap and a working toilet." She proudly stated which made my grin grow exponentially.

"Perfect! And here I thought I would be taking cold baths and needing a shovel every time I had to go." I gleefully stated before remembering my stay with them was temporary. "I can still come over and use your bathroom after I move out, right?" She just rolled her eyes and ignored my very serious inquiry as we continued walking.

"I wouldn't go getting to used to it, Blue." Breezeway cautioned. "Most of the toilets here are still the old-fashioned kind and have to be *aherm* manually emptied periodically. Besides, Composting wouldn't be able to handle and treat all of the wastewater if every home was on the same system as Whisper's."

"*sigh* I guess that's reasonable, but who's Composting?" I asked causing Breezeway to chuckle.

"Ha-ha. It's not a who, Blue, but a what. Composting is one of the so-called sectors of the village that help keep everything running smoothly. At the moment, there are six in total, and the leader of each one acts as a sort of council member for the village as a whole. Composting is specifically responsible for waste removal and public hygiene. The other sectors are Foraging, Construction, Aquaculture, Agriculture, and Protection. Their primary tasks are fairly self-explanatory, but most of them serve secondary and tertiary roles as well." He explained allowing me a few seconds to digest that.

"Okay, make sense enough. So, I'm guessing you're one of the council members then?"

"No, no. I've been retired for quite some time now. I was part of Foraging back in my youth, but these days I serve in a more unofficial advisory position for the council and occasionally as a part-time tour guide for newcomers." He explained with a wink.

"Hah, alright. So, if I stay here will I get to pick what I do, or will I just be given whatever's available?"

"Not to worry, Blue. There's no shortage of work to be done, so I'm sure you'll be able to get a specific job if you find one that you fancy and have some level of aptitude for it. There is also the option of having your own shop if you know some kind of trade that you can market in the village. As a zorua though, you will also be expected to contribute to the village's illusion, but that's hardly something that requires any direct attention. I'm sure Whisper has already explained it to you. However, I doubt anyone will expect you to start contributing in either fashion until you decide whether or not you'll stay and get your own place."

"Hmm. I'll have to give that some thought and see what I might enjoy doing around here then." I said while thinking about the possibilities of a long-term stay here.

"Personally, if I end up having to stay here awhile, I would rather have a business and do my own thing, but I can't even begin to think of a way for that to happen right now. That means I'll probably end up working in one of those sectors he mentioned. I've always enjoyed fishing, so I could try that aquaculture thing. However, I'm not sure how that will work if I can't use a fishing pole or a net." I thought dourly as that meant I wouldn't be able to do one of my favorite past times unless I could figure out how to make do with paws. Shaking myself from those thoughts, I considered my other options.

"As for the rest of them, I mostly just got lucky with fighting off that eevee, so guard duty probably isn't the best idea. Never was a handy man, so Construction's out. Composting is just a flat no. I doubt 'waste management' is a calling of mine. That leaves Agriculture and Foraging. I'm definitely no stranger to gardening or working in the woods, so both are fairly viable options. Back home, I always seemed to have a green thumb, and notwithstanding my current lack of opposable digits, I should still be able to do basic plant care. Although, I could also go work with Whisper and Sonata. Then I would be able to learn more about the local area and get some practice making illusions." I continued inwardly debating the points of both until I remembered Breezeway mentioning something about an illusion for the village.

"Hey, Breezeway. Whisper did mention something earlier about Sonata helping me connect to an illusion, but I honestly have no idea what she was talking about. I also kind of forgot to ask her about that after lunch, too."

At my words, Breezeway grew confused, and Sonata decided to fill him in on my predicament. "Apparently, Blue here was raised by humans and has no idea how any of his abilities work." She explained as we weaved our way through a growing current of pokémon going about their day. "The running theory right now is that he's suffering from a traumatic head injury and has amnesia."

"Oh my, I had been worried that he may have hit his head back in the forest. I was quite surprised when I learned that he had never battled before, but I didn't expect his knowledge about himself to be so stunted. Is that true, Blue? Do you really not have any experience using your abilities?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the long and short of it. Today has been a lot of firsts for me."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure you'll pull through yet. We'll keep an eye out for any humans looking for a lost zorua, but in the meantime, Whisper, Miss Sonata, and Pierce can get you caught up to speed with the basics of making illusions. You did manage to create a mirage while fighting that eevee after all, so you clearly have the talent for it." He said with confidence.

Sonata then decided to take said confidence and rub it in the dirt. "Pfft. You know I was listening when you told Mom about his battle this morning, right? Considering that he was barely able to make something more than a shadow that failed immediately after being touched, 'talent' might be a bit of a stretch, Breezy. But hey, at least we know you can do something, Blue." She quipped as she turned toward me. She at least had the decency to look somewhat apologetic as I couldn't help but be offended by the barb. She took a second to clear her throat before telling me something that was actually useful.

"*cough**cough* Anyways, what Mom was talking about is the illusion that hides the village from being seen. Disguising our dens is kind of a main perk with being able to make illusions in the first place. The way it would work if we were a single-family den living in the woods is that Mom would decide how it would look and then me and Dad would pitch in to help make it. At that point, we would all be 'connected' to it, and the illusion would draw spirit energy from each of us as needed. The illusion for the village works more or less the same. Although, since you weren't there when it was made, I'll have to show you how to connect with it like I did."

"Okay, I was able to follow all of that except for the 'spirit energy' part."

"Seriously? I figured if there was one thing you would know it would be that." She said while looking at me expectantly. All she got for the trouble was me shrugging my shoulders and looking lost as was becoming the norm. "Ugh, whatever. It's the word the humans came up with to describe the energy we use for battling, making illusions, and other stuff. Personally, I think it's a stupid name." Sonata criticized until a bug bit the back of her ear causing her to yelp.

"OW! What the heck?! It's not even the right season for horse flies, yet!" She wailed as she attempted to swat the incessant pest out of the air. Seeing that Sonata was preoccupied, Breezeway finished her explanation.

"From what other zorua have told me, Blue, connecting to the illusion is a fairly straightforward process, and since we have a number of zoroark families already living here, it doesn't usually require any noticeable effort to maintain. I imagine it will serve as a very good steppingstone in learning to utilize your spirit energy." Breezeway said sasgely while Sonata continued to narrowly miss her attacker. Growing impatient and annoyed, she focused on her prey and struck out at it in a flash with a glowing paw. I watched as a detached pair of insect wings fluttered to the ground.

"Stupid freaking bug." She stared contemptuously at the flittering remains before returning to our conversation. "And that's easy for you to say, Breezy. You're not the one who has to teach him how to do that later."

Breezeway chuckled.

As we continued walking, our owl guide would occasionally stop to point out a park or some other significant landmark along the road and explain its history in the village. I did my best to listen attentively, but history lessons always did a good job of making me zone out. I very quickly found myself silently nodding along and felt my eyes begin to glaze over as the time seemed to slip by. I didn't feel too bad, though. I could always just come back and explore them later if I really wanted to.

We were still passing homes on either side of us, but things were starting to get more compact as we got closer to the village center. My short stature wasn't doing me any favors as the groups of pokémon became denser and made it difficult to see much beyond the main road. Having so many pokémon towering over me was also starting to make me a bit nervous. Seeing my plight, Breezeway offered to let Sonata and I ride on his shoulders to get a bird's eye view of the place. We both graciously accepted and hoped on. As I rose above the throng of pokémon, I began to hear a very passionate voice somewhere near us.

"Oh, great. He's out today." Sonata derisively commented as she looked in the direction of a raised wooden platform. Standing on top of it, there was a delibird wearing a large pair of bifocals and preaching about something to a small group of gathered pokémon.

"Now now, Miss Sonata. I know Dexter isn't the most well-liked pokémon in town, but he's never done anything wrong or too extreme. We won't discriminate against him just because he's a tad… overzealous for his organization."

"Urgh, I know. I just wish he wouldn't be so loud about it." She complained as she turned to me. "Just don't make eye contact and try to ignore him. He has terrible vision and might not notice us if we-"

"Ah, Mr. Breezeway, it's great to see you again, my dear friend!" The delibird cheerfully called from the platform as he had apparently finished with his speech, and his group was dispersing. Sonata scowled as she mumbled something I couldn't quite make out.

Not wanting to be rude, Breezeway approached him and extended his own greeting, although his sounded a little less genuine than the expressive penguin's. "Yes, it is certainly a pleasure as always, Dexter. I hope you have been well."

"Yes, I certainly have. It is always a great day when I can speak about our future freedom and our destined utopia. You should really come by the meeting hall one of these days, Mr. Breezeway. It would be an absolute joy to have such an admired member of the community amongst us." Adjusting his glasses, he focused on Sonata and I. "Ah, young Sonata, I apologize. I didn't see you there. A good day to you and to you as well young, um…" He paused as he moved his glasses around and tried to get a better look at me. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met before. My name is Dexter, and I am the apostle of the pokémon unification movement here in the village. Who might you be?"

Before I could answer, Breezeway abruptly spoke up for me. "This is Blue. He's new, and I was just showing him around the village for his first day here. Speaking of which, we are on a tight schedule, and we really must be going."

"Ah, yes, very understandable, my dear friend." He said while still maintaining his elated demeanor and reached into the bag at his side. "Here, young Blue. Please take this pamphlet. We have meetings every Sunday in the building at the far end of the west road past the river, and we would be fantastically delighted to have you visit."

"Um, yeah. Thanks. I'll, uh, think about it." I said cautiously as I took the offered paper and proceeded to think about it.

"Yeah, you're giving me some serious 'drink the Kool-Aid' kind of vibes here. I think I'm gonna pass on that."

Luckily, Breezeway was already wishing him a farewell as we entered the village proper. Passing the brochure to Sonata since she was the only one with a bag, I began taking in the various sights and sounds that filled the street. The buildings were more like the traditional single and two-story structures I was familiar with, and each one seemed to be bustling with activity. Some of the buildings were clearly stores with browsing customers inside and shelving that held all manner of things. Others did little to suggest what kind of business was being conducted but nonetheless had a steady stream of pokémon moving in and out. The air was filled with too many conversations to count, and the sound of laborers and crafters hard at work throughout the town seemed to resonate down the street.

"Welcome to the business district, Blue. For pokémon who have a more unique skill set that the village's sectors can't utilize, this is where they usually set up shop. However, some pokémon like Pierce prefer to operate out of their home on a more part-time basis. Despite his place of work, Pierce has actually made quite the name for himself not only within the village but also abroad amongst other pokémon settlements and even in some circles of human collectors. Although, the latter does not realize that some of their anonymously made prized works came from a pokémon. Years ago, I had him do a portrait of my wife and I, and it's still as beautiful as they day he finished it." He recalled fondly before getting back on track. "Further up ahead of us is the market square where you can find most of your essentials when the vendors are set up. It's usually only open for business on the weekends, though. If you can't find what you're looking for there or at one of the permanent shops around here, your best bet will be to talk with Whisper or someone else in Foraging. They'll keep an eye open for it and will at least tell you where you can find it later." Nearing an open-air blacksmith, he had to take a break in his explanation due to the loud sounds of metal being forcefully shaped that were bellowing from it. Several pokémon were working the forge, but the one doing the hammering was a large anteater that looked like it was made of lava. It barely spared us a glance before a small gout of flame escaped its mouth, and it went back to rhythmically beating the piece of hot iron. I continued staring at the scene like it was the first time I had ever seen such a thing as we continued further past it. Breezeway didn't give me a chance to appreciate the surreality of it all, though, and continued speaking.

"As I was saying, Blue. When it's not being used as a market, the square is a free open space for everyone to enjoy and is where we host events for the village. We actually have one coming up next week if that's something that interests you. This will be one of the smaller ones we have during the year and will mostly just be a light social gathering for the village with good food and some local entertainment."

"Well, I'm not usually a fan of big events, but it sounds like fun. It should also be a good opportunity for me to meet the rest of the village. If I'm still here, I'll take a look around."

"Ha. That's the spirit, Blue. I'm sure you'll find some way to enjoy yourself there." He said with an approving grin.

Glancing to the other zorua, I saw Sonata look confused as she opened her mouth to speak. "Uh, Breezy. Are you sure that's next week? I could've sworn that Mom said it was this week."

"Of course I'm sure, Sonata. I may be old, but I don't forget such things that easily. Besides, the council and I have been planning this for over a month. I'm quite certain that I'm not mistaken of its date. Perhaps you had misheard her?"

"Uh, maybe. I'll ask her again later." Breezeway's conviction was clearly lost on her as she looked less than confident about his statement but decided not to say more on the subject.

As we continued, Breezeway would sometimes point out specific businesses and tell me about the different proprietors that made up the local economy. Looking around as we went, I saw a lot of the same shops you would see in a small town. One of which looked like a general store with various vegetables on prominent display by its doors. Inside, I could see a scyther wearing a butcher's uniform haggling with a heliolisk at a counter. They seemed to be having a serious disagreement regarding the used balance scale between the two of them.

A little further up the street we passed a book and stationery store which was joined with a carpenter's shop that displayed several pieces of custom furniture. Another one that stood out was what looked like a hobbyist electronics shop. Behind the glass storefront, several appliances, components, and other pieces of hardware could be seen littering the shelves. What was most eye catching for me, though, was the open 3DS lying lifelessly on top of one of the displays.

"Alright, I'm calling bull on that. There is no way that Nintendo is a thing here. The probability of that happening is just too astronomically low." I thought skeptically before remembering my own situation. "Then again, stranger things have happened. I'll need to come back later to investigate that. I wonder if the Pokémon games would be considered the Madden and Fifa of this universe? Could I even play it with paws?"

Moving out of sight from the electronics shop, I looked at some more of the businesses we were passing and tried to guess what they were. Most were fairly easy to figure out, but some had signs indicating what kind of services they offered like the restaurant called Cris P's. It featured its menu below the name and seemed to have a good variety for just about any kind of pokémon. Rock soup seemed like an odd item, but hey, who am I to judge. Trying to figure out if the prices were reasonable was a little more challenging, though, since I didn't have any kind of reference. Oddly enough, they were listed in pokédollars too if I'm remembering the symbol correctly.

"Hey Breezeway, do you guys use pokédollars as currency here?"

"Why yes, we do," he chipperly informed me as we continued walking down main street, "along with a more traditional barter system, of course. Most of the establishments in Snowbelle don't mind pokémon purchasing goods from them so long as the money is good. If what you're looking for is something the village has, though, then it's usually cheaper to buy it here, but it's not uncommon for some of us to form a group and go on a day trip to the city to do some shopping. Selling to the shop owners there, on the other hand, is a bit more of a hassle. Usually, you will need someone who can write quickly and legibly with you if you want to be able to negotiate for a good price." He noted while a rocky outcropping that held a pool with steam coming off it came into view on our right.

Following my gaze, he smiled at the sight of the steaming water that had a number of occupants already relaxing in it. "That is one of my personal favorites here in the village, Blue. The building next to the hot springs is a spa that was built a few years back. The baths here are quite rejuvenating, but they also offer massages, hairstyling, and other services inside." He explained as he pointed his wing to the see-through store front as we passed. Peering inside, I could indeed see multiple massage tables on one side of the room. However, they were all lined up and in use by single dirt-covered steelix whose tail snaked all the way to the back of the building and probably outside. I did not envy the machop and machoke who were hard at work chiseling away the compacted earth that covered the beast and then polishing the layer of steel underneath. The other half of the shop looked to be a standard grooming salon as a French poodle with a very stylized purple hairdo busied herself with bathing a very relaxed looking small rabbit-like pokémon with large brown ears.

She briefly glanced up as we passed only to do a double take while staring straight at me. She then said something to her client as she rushed for the door and immediately angled herself straight for us.

"Oh Breeezzzzyyyy! Would you hold on for a second." Sh- no, wait. He said as he made his way to us. "I just must meet your stylish new friend there."

"Good afternoon, Louie. I was just showing our newest guest here around the village. He arrived this morning, and I'm hoping to hit the major sites before I have to return him back to Whisper's this evening." He said as he looked over to me to finish introducing myself.

"Hello, you can call me, Blue. How are you this evening, Mr. Louie right?" I asked as I extended my paw as far down to him as I could.

"Charmed, darling. And yes, I am Louie Callas the Third. The sole proprietor of Louie's Spa Magnifique and two-time champion of Lumiose City's Furfrou Best in Show." He stated proudly as he elegantly stood on his hind legs and brought his paw up to mine before settling back down on the ground. "Now, you must tell me who did your mane and coloring, or are you using one of those illusions you all are so proud of? Either way, it looks absolutely dashing on you, and I can't even see a single stray root."

"Ha-ha. Well, thanks, but I've never had my hair colored. This is all-natural and no illusion required I'm afraid." He was slightly taken aback by that but composed himself rather quickly.

"Oh my, my. That is certainly a rare trait in a zorua, but I suppose some people have to be born with all the luck and are able to just roll out of bed in the morning looking fabulous." He admired with a slight pout. "At least I don't have to worry about a new competitor moving into town, though. Not that business hasn't been good, mind you. I'm just not a fan of sharing."

Breezeway looked like he was about to excuse us, but then the poodle's eyes shifted to Breezeway's other shoulder and widened a tad.

"*Le Gasp* Sonata is that you?! Why, it seems like I haven't seen you in ages, dear. You don't think I'm still sore about that whole hair conditioner incident, do you? You know, the one where you made my fur and skin turn into that hideous shade of neon green, and I had to shave my entire coat off and walk around stark naked for the better part of a month." He said with faux concern as Sonata held a very sheepish and guilty look.

"Weeeeellllll… it was a thought."

"Oh, you wound me, darling. It's water under the bridge. I assure you." He promised darkly as he circled around Breezeway like a shark waiting for the first drop of blood to hit the water. "In fact, mon amie, why don't you come back to the shop, and I'll give you a very special treatment that you'll remember for the rest of your life, just to bury the hatchet for good. On the house, of course." He said with a smile that was anything but friendly. His eyes stared at her with an unrivaled intensity that pushed her further into Breezeway.

Even not being the target of his ire and predatory grin, I could still feel the noose tighten around Sonata as she frantically looked for an escape before her panicked eyes fell on me.

"Blue! Do something!"

"Me? What do you think I can do? I don't even have a dog in this fight."

"Oooh, smart and witty as well. You've got quite the keeper there, Sonata." He quipped causing her terror to become a bit more indignant. Breezeway decided now would be a good time to intervene before things got too out of hand.

"Come now, Louie. She was barely older than a pup when that happened. You really should just let it go."

Shifting his gaze to the bird that continued offering safe harbor to the offending zorua, Louie looked incredibly insulted at such a suggestion. "Hmmph. How about I pluck out all of your feathers and see how long it takes for you to 'just let it go', Breezy Boy. She may have been young at the time, but she is more than old enough now to see her error. She has never even once given me a proper apology for that." He said while turning his nose up and doing his best to look offended. All eyes were on Sonata again as she fidgeted with her paws.

"Well, I'm, uh, sorr-"

"Bup, bup ,bup, bup. I said a proper apology. I will require no less than your most heartfelt letter confessing your undying guilt over your sins and begging for forgiveness along with a bouquet of freshly picked daylilies from the Coumarine City gardens and a box of the finest Steel chocolates from Cyllage. No, wait, let's make that two boxes. Consider it interest for such a long wait in the first place." We all just stared incredulously at the demanding furfrou. Other than the letter and flowers, I don't know much about what he's asking for, but based on Breezeway's and Sonata's expressions, he might have just asked her to go on a quest for the holy grail. "What are you all gawking at? I would say this is a perfectly reasonable request considering the damage she inflicted. I have not once in my life been so embarrassed as I did for that entire month. Not even when I choked the first time I was on the national stage at the West Kalos Pokémon Show. I at least still had my dignity after that."

Seeing that the overly dramatic spa owner wasn't going to budge on his own, Breezeway did his best to talk down his demands. "*ahem* I'm sure Miss Sonata is deeply sorry for the trouble she caused you all those years ago, Louie. Perhaps though, you should require of her something a little more doable. Otherwise, you might find yourself waiting on that apology for quite a while. I hear that Steel chocolate is a little hard to come by these days especially for a zorua who has never went farther than Snowbelle."

Louie once again looked displeased with Breezeway's suggestion but studied Sonata closely and ultimately relented with a huff. "Fine. If you really want to make amends without the flowers or chocolate, then I expect you to be at the spa bright and early tomorrow and be ready to serve your punishment. I also still want that letter as well as a verbal apology after were done." Feeling conflicted between doing the right thing and self-preservation, Sonata weighed her options in distress as neither choice led to a very desirable outcome.

Seeing her apprehension and with a roll of his eyes, Louie assuaged her fears about what he intended for her... sort of. "Relax, darling. I was only joking earlier and would never sully my good name by so much as moving a single hair on your head out of place. However, you would do well to tell Whisper not to expect you back until some time after dusk. I do plan to take full advantage of our time together after all." Sonata couldn't respond as she audibly gulped at the possible tortures that awaited her and desperately tried to think of a crazy enough plan that would get her out of this. Louie, taking that as her confirmation, addressed me once again.

"You, of course, are welcome to come by anytime, Blue. It would be a crime to let that natural coat of yours lose its luster, and I would truly love to see what colour combinations I can create using your blue as a base. Ooh, I can practically feel the inspiration flowing through me as I think about it. Just try not to let that vixen beside you get you into too much trouble in the meantime. Now, I know you three are probably in a hurry, so if you'll excuse me, I bid you all a good afternoon. And I will be seeing you in the morning, Sonata. ~~Ta ta for now, darling~~." He sing-songed as he turned and made his way back towards the spa entrance.

We all just watched as the furfrou reentered the establishment and went back to work as if nothing had happened. Sonata finally broke the silence as the seconds dragged on.

"So, Blue. If we find your family by tomorrow, can I come stay with you for a little while?" She asked with her voice full of hope as Breezeway decided we had been standing around long enough and pushed onward to the market.

Remembering earlier, I decided to just roll my eyes and ignore such a ridiculous question.