Revised as of 4/10/2021
Lloyd briefly smiled and looked to Kira and Ronin, who both touched their badges and started glowing. He took his badge off and flicked it into the air briefly. "Just, uh… don't panic when you appear at the Guild's lobby area. We can explain how it all works later."
I nodded as he touched me with it. A bright glow took my vision as everything dulled and blurred away. Quickly my vision returned, but my balance still absent.
I found myself flat on my arse. My only comfort being Kira's soft giggling and Ronin with his hand extended. My head felt like it was killing me, already growing from before. Lloyd was strangely absent.
"You'll get used to it," he said as he helped me to my feet.
The floor was wooden with white marble pillars jetting up into the roof, where a small skylight resided. Letting the afternoon sun shine through into the entire room. It resembled a lobby area of sorts, a large door that probably went outside was currently closed but appeared to not have a lock. Some small windows were on the stone and wooden walls, allowing me to see out into the city of 'Narkin' itself.
I realized we weren't alone. Other Pokémon I couldn't name noticed our arrival, giving me an odd look or two. Some continued to stare. All of them had a badge and bandanna somewhere on themselves, all different colors, must've been how they showed what 'squad' they were in.
I didn't know what they thought of me, and I'd rather not ask. What Ronin had told me was still fresh in my mind.
My legs were throbbing and it was beginning to get hard to stay balanced with the makeshift crutches Lloyd fashioned for me. Reminding me of the all important question. How in hell's name did I break my legs out in the middle of nowhere with no damn idea as to how I got there. Maybe Kira would know, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Thoughts swirled around my mind, paranoia once more staking its claim in my thought process. Their stares almost felt like a smoke cloud around me. I couldn't defend myself properly because of my injury if they were to try anything, I was at their mercy until my legs could support me again.
A feminine voice suddenly pierced through my mind along with the emotion of concern flowing into me through some kind of connection. [Are you alright?]
[Just… nervous…] I tested the waters of this odd bridge that was created between us. It felt odd and unnatural at first, I struggled to get the words across. But I could tell it was different from just thinking random things in my head and her just being able see them.
[You're safe here in the Guild,] Kira assured. [Nobody can do much other than stare or talk to you.]
I tore my eyes away from their gazes. [What... law... is... stopping... them?]
[One of decency, and I think we both know that people from either of our worlds do not care for such things.]
Ronin glanced between me and Kira, probably figuring out that she was communicating through telepathy. He shrugged and walked off towards a counter that seemed to be where you'd register for entry or something. He waved back at me to follow him.
Slowly I started to work my way over, looking mostly to the ground to avoid eye contact with anyone else. I really didn't want to answer anyone elses questions while I figured things out. The Malamar behind the counter seemed to be studying me as I approached, its tentacles neatly behind its back.
Yet another Pokémon I knew would be really bad to get in a fight with. My headache only grew at the idea, flowing with ideas of horrible deaths.
Its voice was much more refined and regal than what I was expecting. "You know, it's been a while since I've seen something or someone new show up here. What's your name?"
"Mason… uh, yours?" I said as calmly as I could muster.
It smiled brightly while putting away some pieces of paper into the desk draws. "Merek, I run certain things around the Guild. Speaking of which, I'm going to guess you're new to the Guild stuff in general, right?"
I nodded, still unsure of whether it was going to read my mind or not despite what Kira told me. Despite that idea, this growing feeling of calm and the headache I had killed it on the spot. I'd rather come off as cautious, not paranoid.
"Well, what brings you here to Narkin Guild?" Merek asked while writing something more down on the paper.
"They did." I gestured to Ronin and Kira. "Said something about fixing my legs up, and joining their team."
Merek gestured to my legs and crutches. "Was the incident that broke them an accident? Or something more… malicious?"
"I'm afraid he can't remember," Kira explained. "We're going to try and find out what happened after."
He nodded. "Hmm, well, I'll get everything in order for you to become a Guild member then, Mason. Were you going to create a team or join one?"
"They invited me to join theirs." I pointed to Ronin and Kira again.
"Ah, you're quite lucky then. A lot of Pokémon would love to be on the same team as one of Narkin's best doctors." he commented as he pulled some pieces of paper out and wrote with a quill and ink. I didn't want to know where he got the ink.
Ronin folded his arms. A more serious look coming over him. "Kira and I pitched the idea to Lloyd since he had nowhere to go. And with recent happenings… it's not safe to be alone in this town."
Paranoia flared once more inside me, the stares I was getting now starting to feel like they were pressuring me to run. The pounding of my headache drowned it out. Leaving me to simply ponder on what they could've been talking about.
The front doors flew open as three Pokémon entered. Each looking like they just fought their way out of hell. A normal looking Ninjask, followed by a Medicham with a bag on its shoulder, and an Aggron with an eyepatch.
The Ninjask and the Aggron went down a hallway, while the Medicham started coming over to the front counter. I tried to ignore it, facing back to Merek and praying that it's just signing in or something.
I could feel its stare boring a hole in my back.
"I see your team is back so soon, I thought you'd be out longer?" Merek inquired.
The Medicham stood beside me, sighing while putting a piece of paper on the counter. "We decided that the, eh, bounty for this guy isn't worth the hassle. Not even Viggo can really keep up with the guys fightin' style."
"Hmm, I see. Well it's no matter... did any of you get hurt out there?"
"No, we're just tired- and can I ask where you came from?" The Medicham tapped me on the shoulder.
I sighed, sending a glare towards him as my paranoia flared up again. "I can't remember."
"Oh, er- sorry to hear that." He put his hands together and slightly bowed his head. "I'll be taking my leave, goodbye Merek." I kept a watch on him from the corner of my eye as he went down the same hallway his team went.
I sighed and looked at the paper, written in a language I did not recognize, but could understand. The headache spiked, much to my displeasure.
"Bounty?" I asked while reaching for the paper. The paper levitated into the air, my pounding head convincing my body to recoil back as it slowly made its way over to me. I shook my head and reached out for it.
Merek hid a snicker beneath a tentacle as I grabbed it. "Yes, a bounty for this Zoroark named Luson. He's responsible for a few thefts, and possibly the disappearance of a Kirlia. Although don't quote me on that last one, it's only a rumor."
"I'm going to guess these 'bounties' are only part of the amount of jobs that are available?" I asked while reading over the details. I wanted to know where I learned to use this language, it having appeared seemingly overnight.
"Yes, there are a plethora of things to do besides hunting down criminals. Although I'm guessing you're going to be taking a liking to bounties specifically."
I squinted a little bit as I looked at him. "I'm used to dealing with criminals... I'll give you that." I said defensively.
Ronin read it alongside me. "Maybe we can do this after you've completed the dungeon run."
A swoosh echoed around the room briefly as someone teleported in. Lloyd was back and he had a black backpack with him, something that looked like it belonged to me given the modern design.
"Seems that you… dropped this out there." He handed me the bag before going around to the side of the counter Merek was on. I took the bag in hand, spotting something hanging from it. It was a tag of some kind with someone's name on it.
'If found, return to Mark Miller.'
A pit formed in my stomach as dread quickly filled it. It wasn't my bag. The name was familiar, maybe I was driving… maybe this was a suspect's bag. Better in my hands then someone else's. I tore it off and put it in my pocket.
It did not help that the language the tag was in was still English. My pounding headache continued to stop my ability to think any further than the surface level. Even trying to take things slowly down its potential train of thought hurt my head. I was still outright missing my glock as well, and I was starting to get deathly worried about its whereabouts.
Lloyd took the paper that Merek was writing on and started down a hallway that was behind the desk. Ronin followed behind him, for what I could not tell. I couldn't help but stare at the backpack, wondering if I should open it here.
I jumped a little as a hand was placed on my shoulder. Kira giggled a little at my nervousness. "There is no need to be afraid, you need to see the guy in charge before we fix you up." I slowly followed after her past the squid-like psychic.
"Goodbye for now, young Mason." Merek called down after me. I waved back, finding myself oddly fond of him. It was like a weight was lifted off of me, or a pressure just released. The stares from before faded out of my mind, calming the headache ever so slightly.
I followed Kira through a door on the left side of the hallway. A worried sigh escaped me as the door closed behind us.
There were four chairs facing a desk with one chair on the other side, occupied by a Pokémon I couldn't quite make out. The walls were adorned with paintings and badges, a single window was putting light into this room from behind the desk.
Lloyd and Ronin sat in two of the chairs, gesturing for us to take a seat beside them.
The fancier chair swiveled around, its squeaking parts unnerving me. The Pokémon revealed was blue and lizard-like, 'Inteleon' rang in my head from somewhere I couldn't remember.
It studied me for a moment, trying desperately to keep its face straight. "So you really weren't kidding after all…" It shook its head. "S- sorry about my behavior, what's your name, chap?"
"Mason, and are you the 'boss' around here?" I asked in an even voice.
The Inteleon smiled a little, taking the paper from before off the table and reading it. "My name is Ace, and yes, I run this place. With the rest of my team... although they're currently away right now, sadly." he sighed quietly as he put the paper down. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
Ace shifted in his chair. "Pardon the bluntness of this question… but do you have any reason for being here outside of, well… your current situation?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" he sighed wearily. "Your kind has been effectively wiped off the whole world. I'm sure you're aware of that already. Your appearance here isn't… natural. I want to know if you have any connections with, well, anything."
My head started to throb. Something in the back of my mind desperately wanted to be remembered, but it was kept back like it was imprisoned inside me. I shook my head. "From what I can remember, I'm not connected to anything."
Ace nodded as a silence grew between all of us. He shifted his look from one of cold and calculated in origin, to one of concern.
"So you can't remember everything?" Ace prodded.
I grimaced as the headache I almost forgot about ripped into me yet again. "I can remember everything fine, just not the reasons on how I got here."
In the corner of my eye, I could see Kira with her crystal slightly glowing. I could only guess what she was doing.
"So I'm guessing you want to remember, right? And figure out what happened to you?"
I grinned, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. "That's my plan."
"I should warn you then, before you go…" He wrote something down on a piece of paper. "That you're going to have quite a lot of Pokémon being very curious of you here in the Guild."
"I'm gonna guess some of this attention isn't going to be good for me…"
A small smile appeared on Ace's face. "You'd be correct. But for now it shouldn't be a huge deal. Anyways, after you heal up, we can get you properly made a member along with the other rookies."
My head went numb, the pain becoming unbearable, I put a hand to the back of my head, feeling warm blood drip from my fingers and onto the floor. The feeling of it running down my neck coming to the forefront of my mind.
I got up and put my hand out, the blood dripping more onto the floor as I tried to speak. I opened my mouth, nothing but a slurred bunch of words came out. My vision blurred as my legs gave out. The wooden floors were cold, far colder than they had any right to be. I wish I could move, even if just an inch to flip myself upright.
I tried to not close my eyes like my dad told me, I found the idea more enticing as I drifted off closer to…
I could hear something echoing in my head… A voice? A memory? Or… was it both?-
"He'll live…" I said to my on edge team. A collective sigh of relief came from them both. "But since no one here is familiar with human biology, they can only do the bare minimum in certain areas other than his legs. Which are similar enough to some Pokémon to manage."
An Audino nodded reading off a clipboard. She looked me in the eyes, a calm yet curious expression on her face. Much calmer than when she first saw him. "We can handle it from here, Kira."
Despite her reassurance, my mind ablaze. How did I miss such a head wound when I initially healed him? I'm supposed to be a doctor… yet I let that happen.
Lloyd was leaning against a wall beside the human, Mason. He shook his head. "How'd he not feel it 'till the last second? Maybe he's little… tougher than I thought."
I put a hand on his forehead, feeling his pain briefly before everything opened up for me to see. Every injury sustained I didn't heal I could feel on him, but most importantly, his legs. Somehow completely fractured on the inside without any indication on the outside.
No swelling, no blood, no external wounds even. Something even felt off with his very aura, like someone tried to already get inside his head and failed numerous times. He's been through hell and can't even remember it.
"Humans are resilient," Ronin began as he approached. "If the legends are anything to go by."
I rolled my eyes and faced him, a pang of guilt festering. "The legends never spoke of their powers or weapons, take them with a grain of salt, Ronin."
"Well… I doubt he even has powers. He used this weapon of his and nothing more, nearly killed me with it…"
"In self defense," I retorted. "Never once did malicious intent cross his mind beyond just defending himself. Besides, he's alone, why wouldn't he be scared?"
He woke up alone and afraid, nothing familiar to him at all. Even the sight of us sparked curiosity, like he's never seen a Pokémon even. His memory was completely blank in the area that mattered most. And at this point, I was surprised he was taking it that well.
The Audino hushed everyone. "I'm afraid you'll have to take this outside, this is disturbing our patients."
"Sorry, let's go get the base setup for his arrival then." Lloyd said as everyone gathered around me. I waved my hands around as everyone began to glow, everything disappeared from view as the process completed and we popped into our base.
Light brown wooden walls, dark flooring, and a skylight that was overtop of the kitchen and small living room we had. Basic decoration, some paintings and flowers that I was barely able to keep alive. There was a set up stairs that went up to where we slept, and that was about it. It was simple, it was quaint, but it was home. Just the way we liked it.
Lloyd waved to Ronin and me. "I'll go get some materials to make a bed for him."
"Sounds good, me and Kira can finish that job we were doing before then." Ronin said as a bright light came over us again. I felt his hand guide where we were going. The deafening silence wrapped around us as the light died.
We were where Mason was. The surviving Houndour had gone, leaving behind the bodies of each of them killed by his weapon. The deafening crack still slightly echoed in my ears, my gaze seeing the small hole in each body where blood used to gush out of.
I gazed around the area, the patches of scorched earth and grass everywhere. "Do you think that the Bidoof's berry bag is really out here? What did he say that he was scared from here by again?"
"A loud bang and screaming…"
I felt heavy emotion tied to the area, not just the Houndour intent. But something else, something far more malicious. Like someone didn't want to be found out here and tried to cover their tracks in a hurry.
I found myself drawn to the center of the area, unseen forces guiding my mind to see the pond. I could see two objects foreign to it. A piece of bloodied clothing I was unfamiliar with, and a badge. My eyes widened as I realized what badge it was. I clenched my hand into a fist hard before I threw it at one of the bodies.
Ronin noticed my anger, I cut him off before he could say anything. "Lycoris members were already here. I think Mason killed one, these bastards are everywhere." I angrily hissed. One more reason to hate these Pokémon out of the hundred I already have.
"If they were here, then we need to leave in case some show up." he then pulled out a small bag full of berries. "I found the Bidoof's bag as well, let's hope Mason's condition stays low profile for now."
I tapped my badge, a small light coming from me as the Guild badge did its magic. "Agreed."
We appeared in the guild, the sound of an argument was echoing around the room. "I already told you, that is Guild business. Now get lost before I remove you from this lobby myself," Merek declared angrily.
A Hitmontop with a Zangoose were at the front desk with a very angry Merek staring them down. "We don't want to know where the guy is, we just wanna know if a human is actually alive-"
"Again I say, Guild business by decree of Ace," Merek asserted while bending down to look them closer in the eye. "Last chance to leave without incident."
"Fine then, be like that, we'll leave," the Zangoose said as they both hastily left. Slipping past all the Pokémon staring at them.
I glared at them as they passed us. Ronin shook his head, taking my hand in his as he coaxed me to walk with him. I softened my gaze for him and followed behind him.
"What was that about?" Ronin asked Merek who took the berry bag and gave us the reward for its return.
"They wanted to know about the human, as you heard they didn't get anything from me. But I'd be careful of another team potentially telling them. They didn't smell of being from around here and they certainly reeked of suspicious intentions."
I gazed out the window, seeing them going down the hill and towards the dock. Hopefully they take a ship out of town and never sail back. "Did they say who they were?" Ronin asked.
"No," his tentacles writhed a little. "But I doubt they'll ever come back."
Something stirred in the back of my mind. I felt drawn back to where we just were, my mind telling that something was still amiss. "I'll meet you at home, Ronin. I've got something I need to check on first."
He nodded before turning back to Merek, probably to continue their conversation. I channeled the memory of the location through my mind, the light surrounding me quickly fading away. I was back in the field. The bodies were now gone, dragged off by some nocturnal predator probably.
One more thing evaded me, I could feel it still here. My powers guided me near the pond again. Something felt off in the nearby tall grass. I reached in and felt two items, a part of me surprised that they were here. The first was a blue piece of clothing that looked like it could sit on my head with a small badge in the center that had two letters of an unknown language on it. It must've belonged to Mason.
The second was just a badge, but it seemed to have a name on it. One in the same foreign language as the clothing piece. Both definitely belonged to him. I stretched my mind over the area once more, feeling little out of place. The emotion was fading, but I could still feel it…
I noticed a bunch of holes on a tree, one with blood coating it. I counted nine holes in the tree, like Mason shot it with his weapon. But from what I saw of his weapon… it only had six uses in it before he had to 'reload' it.
Something was still amiss.
With what I came back here for in hand, light briefly flashed around me as I pulled myself to home. It faded away, leaving only the moonglow slipping down through the skylight. Illuminating the stairs up to where we sleep.
"You alright?" a deep voice asked. The Greninja was sitting on our couch, reading something.
I put a hand to my head, the frustration creeping into my demeanor. "Physically, yes. Mentally, no. I missed a damned wound on Mason, and he almost died because of it. Then I went back… and found these."
I showed him the objects I found. Lloyd stared at them briefly, squinting a little before turning his attention back to his book.
"If I had to guess… they probably belong to Mason. Maybe tomorrow when you go check on him you can leave them with him, just in case." He flipped a page, its edges slightly torn with wear. His demeanor shifted. "Ronin told me about, the uh… other thing found out there…"
I scowled, my mind having to resist the urge to yell out. "They're behind this, they have to be. Like everything else that goes on in this town- it's always them."
"For a Gardevoir, you are rather quick to anger, you know."
"I have every right to be angry," I huffed quietly. "Especially as of late. First it was Team Shade barely having gotten back on the brink of death, then it was that Eevee…" my voice faltered as the anger was replaced with distraught. "And now it's… a human. An actual Arceus damned human still alive, and they're after him."
The Greninja sighed. "I think right now you need some sleep. We can figure this all out tomorrow, as a team."
"Fine," I conceded. Carefully walking up the stairs decorated in moonlight. I saw Ronin in our bed as usual. I climbed in, seeing one waiting for its owner.
I stared up into the stars above as I fell asleep, seeing their brilliant shine. I wondered what Mason thought about them, hopefully he was sleeping as peacefully as us.
