Chapter 2: New Friends and Speedy Changes
Awaking in the morning Marluxia blinked trying to place where he was, the room he was in had pretty much white walls. Looking around he noticed an arm draped over him, using his eyes to follow the arm up he saw Tsuki's still sleeping face. He shifted a bit feeling her warm breath beating against his neck; it was weird for someone so young to put all her trust in him. He wouldn't mind hanging around her for a bit but if he found a way home then he was out of there! Tsuki's eyes opened up and she smiled at him "Morning Marluxia." She greeted patting his head a little. Marluxia nodded watching her sit up and sketch a bit before she tossed the blankets off her legs and picked him up "Breakfast then we are out of here!" she cheered running for the door. Marluxia's breakfast was fruit and bread, different than what he thought looked like dog food that Tsuki's mother had attempted to feed him. Once they were filled up Tsuki smiled at her mother "Thanks for breakfast and letting us spend the night here." Her mother smiled
"No trouble dearie. Are you and your brother travelling together?"
"Nope! So I gotta go!" she picked up Marluxia and ran out the front door. The former Nobody swore he heard her mother laugh a bit saying something that sounded like 'Oh those two.' Before Tsuki shut the door and sprinted off. Just as she was leaving town a soft 'Hey!' caught her attention turning around a little girl with blond hair was looking at her
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, headed out on a journey." Tsuki smiled at the little girl. The little girl held up some sort of device, taking a hold of it she pushed a button that released a digital copy of a map of some sort
"Take this. It's a map!" the little girl told her. Tsuki smiled again ruffling the girl's hair
"Thank you young one. I'll take good care of it." She told her. The girl nodded watching Tsuki turn and walk back towards the road ahead of her.
As Tsuki stepped onto the route that they had been on just the previous day she smiled "First day of being an official trainer! This is going to be fun!" Marluxia resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her excitement.
Heading towards Viridian City Marluxia was lost in thought: why did he come back as this thing? Why hadn't he just gone to either Heaven, hell or where ever he was met to go when he died? It was weird to say the least; he was so lost in thought that he hadn't notice something starring at the two who were walking through the tall grass. Eyes glinted at the easy prey and launched itself from the tree nearly hitting Marluxia, it would have hit if Tsuki hadn't glanced over "Marluxia look out!" she screamed. The grass type looked up seeing a bird coming at him, running out of the way the bird skidded to the ground watching him turn around "Tackle it!" Tsuki ordered. Charging at the little brown and white bird Marluxia slammed his body into it; the bird toppled over but flipped over smacking itself into him.
Marluxia didn't feel it too terribly much (Seeing this bird was quite small compared to him) but the bird slammed itself into him an again and he slammed most of his weight onto the bird, the little bird toppled over again. Just as Marluxia was about to charge Tsuki touched him making him stop, she smiled at him "That's enough." She told him. Reaching in her bag Tsuki retrieved a small ball from one of the pockets, pushing the button Tsuki made it bigger before throwing it. The ball hit the bird lightly opening up shooting out a red light that surrounded the bird before it was pulled inside and the ball shut. Landing on the ground with a soft thud the ball shook side to side gently, after it shook three times the button in the middle clicked before the ball remained still.
Marluxia wasn't too sure what on earth had just happened before Tsuki walked over picking up the ball, opening it the bird reappeared chirping quietly. It seemed completely calm unlike the bird that had just tried to attack Marluxia or possibly attempt to kill him. Tsuki stroked the bird a few times cooing at it until she set it down on the ground it hopping around a bit fluttering it's wings "Marluxia this is Aries the Pidgey our first captured team mate." She told him. Marluxia nodded looking at the bird until he blinked, instead of a little bird sitting in front of him a young child was. Her hair was short and a little shaggy almost all was brown accept a little bit of blond by the corners of her hairline, her eyes were big brown that seemed to stare at him, her legs were mostly human except her feet which were those of a bird. Her body was covered by a pair of shorts that had some pale yellow colored feathers on the cuffs of her shorts; she wore some sort of t-shirt that had been ripped at the sleeves that was the same color of the feathers on the shorts. Instead of arms she had two feathery wings that the bottom part were the same pale blond her shirt was the other the same shade of brown that made up her hair. Two markings were by her face that curved slightly.
She smiled at Marluxia
"Your unique looking." She chirped to him. Marluxia backed away a bit
"Your…human?" he asks, the girl smiled at him
"To you yes. I see you just as a Bulbasaur." She told him "You must be more comfortable with humans than I." she told him. Marluxia blinked
"What do you mean?"
"Tell me first; before I was caught did I look like this or a bird?"
"A bird."
"Ah so you are willing to work with others like you but if you fight you place them as a creature that could be threatening." She spoke. Marluxia blinked confused
"What?"
"That's what my mommy told me!" she chirped before she was picked up by Tsuki
"We need to train you up!" Tsuki giggled.
Having battling what seemed like a million other birds and the purple mice the two were deemed ready to leave for the next area. Passing through the town that Marluxia had seen just the previous day Tsuki left straight out of town headed towards a large forest. Looking at the girl Tsuki smiled "This is Viridian Forest. You go through here to get to the first gym!" she announced walking into a large pile of grass. The trees rustled before something dropped on top of Tsuki's head "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" she squeaked loudly jump back a bit knocking whatever it was off her head. A small green caterpillar like creature with yellow circles on its sides, it had suction cup feet and a strange red horn in the middle of its head. If Marluxia hadn't been so startled by Tsuki's scream he might have thought it wasn't that threatening. The small caterpillar blinked waddling over to Tsuki's feet; the girl by now had recovered grabbing Aries's Pokéball.
She threw the ball forward "Go Aries!" she called out before the ball opened shooting out a white light before the bird emerged with a cry "Aries use tackle!" she ordered. With a few tackles Aries was stopped by Tsuki much like Marluxia had when the little bird was captured. Once the ball was tossed it was hardly a struggle to make it shut close, Tsuki walked over opening the ball talking to the little bug. Aries fluttered to sit next to Marluxia
"Woo! That was fun!" she chirped. Marluxia sighed
"How could that be fun?" he asked
"What's eating you?" she asked instead of answering his question. Marluxia said nothing instead choosing to watch the girl walk over with the bug. The caterpillar now looked like a young boy whose hair was green and he wore some sort of green pajamas with yellow circles and spots on them. Some of his green hair parted a bit to reveal a red horn on his head
"This is Handsome!" Tsuki nodded stroking the bug who nodded "Handsome this is Aries and Marluxia." She introduced them "Now to train you!" she told the green bug picking him up. The three stayed in the forest to train, it was when Marluxia and rescued the bug from a little yellow mouse…thing did he look over his shoulder and blinked in surprise. The bug was glowing in a white light that surrounded the little bug, once the light faded the caterpillar was gone instead sat some kind of cocoon that was green like the bug. Marluxia backed up "Oh wow! That's what an evolution looks like!" Tsuki gasped. She walked over stroking the smooth skin of the bug; the little boy now appeared older (Perhaps a late teen) and wore a giant oversized poncho starring at Marluxia and Aries
"Evolution?" Marluxia asked
"It's a process all Pokémon can go through…well not all I think. We grow and change into stronger forms of our previous selves!" Aries explained to Marluxia who watched Tsuki spray the cocoon with a potion on him "So Handsome evolved into the next stage of his life!" she told him "Lucky! I don't evolve forever! Or that is what it feels like!" she continued to babble but Marluxia didn't really listen to the girl who rambled on and on instead looking at the newly evolved creature.
Handsome evolving proved to be better for Marluxia and Aries who didn't need to keep fighting to protect the bug from danger. Yes he was so slow but it was better than before, after the sound defeat of yet another bug trainer's Pokémon Handsome was surrounded by a familiar light again. This time Handsome lost his shell leaving it on the ground he instead emerged as a purple butterfly with red compounded eyes whose wings where white with small black bits on it. The butterfly turned around and looked at the two Pokémon, in Marluxia's eyes he saw a young adult male whose hair was now purple and his eyes red. He looked much like a fairy named Tinkerbelle he had once seen images of from other members of the Organization XIII. The male smiled a bit at the two.
Finally leaving the forest the crew saw the edge of a larger city, it was bigger than Viridian from the looks of it but Marluxia swallowed thickly. Something in the air read that something bad was going on in the town. As the crew followed Tsuki into another patch of grass finishing their training for the first gym the crew gain yet another party member. A Ratatta named being named Riki, She looked more human that the rest of the crew to Marluxia. She simply looked like a young child with purple hair and dress with a mouse like tail and ears. As they began training Riki had been fighting a little yellow bug when she squeaked out of pain "Aries get in there!" Aries quickly flew in front of the mouse fending off the bug when Riki hit the ground, the human was gone. Replaced with the mouse again some kind of foam coming out of her mouth. Tsuki gasped
"No…"
Marluxia blinked looking at the body
"How terrible for one so young." Handsome spoke
"I know but life seems to be this a lot…" Aries spoke. Marluxia looked at the two
"Death is common here?" he asked. Handsome nodded
"You probably didn't notice it with those trainers since most of us fight by slamming our bodies into the opponent." He spoke "But this…could be our fate." He spoke watching Tsuki scoop up the mouse and bring it to a small hole in the ground she had been digging. Marluxia looked at the male shocked "We can die with one misstep." He told him the message reading loud and clear into the male's soul. The male said nothing as he looked at the ground
'So…I could die again…I wonder what would happen to me…' no one said anything as Tsuki finished burring the Pokémon. She wiped her eyes and put on a happy smile
"Well….we can't let this hold us back! We'll keep fighting just to prove that her memory will not be in vain!" she announced. The crew nodded "The gym will be tough for all of us. Marluxia will have to do a lot of fighting seeing it's a rock type gym." Marluxia nodded "But…I know you can do it…" Tsuki stroked Marluxia's head gently. Marluxia looked towards the route as they left headed for the Pokémon center for the night, how many more would he see?
As night fell and the crew were resting Marluxia looked to Handsome and Aries "Aries?"
"Yes?" Marluxia swallowed
"When Riki died…I saw her as a mouse again…why?"
"Perhaps you are not willing to see the bodies left of your fellow comrades. That's my only guess."
"I agree with Aries. You are willing to work with humans but you can't stand to look at them dead." Marluxia sighed quietly
'That can't be it…Because I wanted to see the death of Xemnas…but…I wasn't really friends with him…or anyone else there really except for maybe Roxas but he was always with Axel. Larxene was more a partner and nothing more…' as Marluxia began to fall asleep he vaguely remembered the Organization XIII's faces …