The next morning, there was a gentle, almost imperceptible knock at the door.

"Tanner? Can I come in?" Tessa's voice called out like a muse. It was still early, but Tanner had been up for a while. He had been keeping himself busy by stressing himself out. So, he was happy to have company, even if it was that of a strange blue bipedal canine.

"Sure, yeah." He said.

Tessa entered the room with a smile and walked up to Tanner's bed before pausing for a moment to look around the room."Morning. How are you feeling?"

"Better." Tanner shrugged. He wasn't as achy, but this was the second time he woke up in the body of a fox. It wasn't something that was easy to get used to.

"Yeah. A good night's rest has a way of melting away your worries like a summer thaw." Tessa said wistfully.

"...yeah."

"Well, you gave Landon and me quite a shock. I'm just glad we found you. I know it scared you a fair bit." She said with a disarming smile as she straightened the bedsheets.

"Yeah, it… I didn't really know what to do..." Tanner trailed off. There was a lot he didn't know, and he just wanted to get away from it all.

"Hey, so I was thinking, how do you feel about going out to get some breakfast?" Tessa asked as if reading his mind. Tanner pondered the question a bit. As much as he wanted to, he wasn't sure he was ready for that. He wasn't used to being a four-legged animal. He didn't know what Tessa was, or what was at the other side of his door other than dark caves and giant spiders.

On the other hand, Tanner couldn't stay here. However he was getting back to his regular body, it wouldn't be in this room.

"Okay. Yeah, breakfast sounds good. Just-"

"We'll take it slow; I'll show you around town." Tessa said cheerily. She smiled and took a step back towards the door, before speaking again. "Please don't worry about anything. I'll help you out."

Tanner hesitated, but carefully climbed off his bed and followed her out the door.

Tessa led outside into the warm, welcoming sunlight. Once his eyes were adjusted, they were met with a wave of colors. Oddly shaped buildings of a wild variety of yellow, red and purple lined a cobblestone street. Streamers waved in a gentle breeze that blew up the road, carrying the scents of unfamiliar fruit that grew on foreign trees.

The smell of flowers mixed with that of baked goods that floated on the wind. Tanner turned his head to see where the smell was coming from- and saw more odd creatures. A blue monkey sprayed water out of its hands on the plants, and a calico cat spoke with a dragon up the road. Tanner couldn't help but stare, confused, amazed, worried, and a little excited.

"So, this is Mayweather. It's a nice little town, everyone's friendly." Tessa watched Tanner closely as she spoke. "That there is Jenna, she's just keeping the plants watered, it's her job." She gestured to the monkey. "And that's guild master Finn. He's a kind soul. Trustworthy. Hard-working."

Tanner stared for a while at the dragon. The dragon named 'guild master Finn'. That was an actual dragon right there, talking with the cat. This whole place was all very fantastical, but he just wasn't expecting a dragon.

"Okay. He seems… good." Tanner mumbled. He didn't honestly know what to think.

"Have you ever seen a Salamence before?" Tessa asked slowly.

"No." Tanner shook his head. Salamence. Is that what it was called?

"Well, they are uncommon, I suppose. He's a wanderer at heart, but decided to call Mayweather home... Let's keep walking - it smells like Tony just fired up the oven." Tessa strode into the street with serene grace, keeping a pace slow enough for Tanner to gawk at the town.

He did his best to look calm, but everything was so new and unusual. His heart was pounding in his chest, and it was making it difficult to keep moving naturally. Eventually, Tessa interrupted the silence.

"So, I am curious, have you seen a Lucario before?"

"Uh, no. What do they look like?" Tanner asked.

"Well, you're talking to one." She looked over with a smirk.

"Oh- sorry. I didn't-" Tanner stammered. He needed to keep his mouth shut, everyone would think he was an idiot if he kept this up!

"No, don't worry about it. All water under the bridge." Tessa said with an easy smile. The Lucario glanced down at Tanner for a moment, then continued leading up the street. They passed a few shops with strange-looking articles of clothing in the window before she spoke again. "Yeah, I'm a Lucario, and Landon is a Mightyena. He and I are two peas in a pod. I give him a hard time, though."

The two walked up the street, with more strange creatures passing in and out of view. Birds, snakes. All with their fantastical elements.

"So, what's Seattle like?" The Lucario asked.

"It's bigger than this." Tanner said. Much, much bigger. Tanner could see fields at the edge of Mayweather. He wasn't quite sure where the edge of Seattle was.

"Bigger, eh? It's strange I haven't heard of it. You really must be from someplace far away, huh?"

"Yeah. It's different from here." Tanner nodded, though he mentally kicked himself for talking about his home. Hopefully she wouldn't ask about it again.

"So, what's the most interesting thing about your hometown?"

"Umm…" Dang. What could he say? That there were buses and cars? It was so different from here- did this place have electricity? Any sort of technology? He didn't see anything like that, but there were magical animals around him. Maybe they hadn't developed those things. Maybe they didn't need it. "The buildings are taller, and all the same shape." Tanner responded. That was vague enough to be believable.

"Huh. Well, that sounds like it's a lot of the same all the time. What kind of pokemon are most common in your hometown?" Tessa asked quickly.

Tanner narrowed his eyes, confused. What did she say? Poke… No, he needed to not answer more questions, or he would be in trouble.

"Um… I don't know. I don't want to talk about it." Tanner mumbled quickly.

"I understand. You miss it?"

He nodded silently.

"I'm sorry about that. This must all be very confusing for you. Like you're a seed, blown about in the wind. We'll help if we can. At least, we'll give you some shelter so you can plant your roots and find some footing."

Tanner was very confused by this creature. It was like she was trying to be profound, but it just bordered the line between deep and annoying. He also wasn't sure if the 'planting his roots' metaphor was literal or not. Their doctor was a flower, after all.

Tanner followed along silently until they reached a small, open-air cafe. The walls were painted yellow, though they were mostly covered in flowering, creeping vines. The smell of freshly baked pies wafted out onto the street, beckoning any who passed by to stop in and grab a quick treat. He tried not to stare at the strange creatures who held quiet conversations and ate pastries in their own corners of the cafe.

It was cozy - sunshine shone down through umbrellas, warming cushioned seats around small tables. There were modest decorations- daffodils in glass vases that blew gently in the breeze, sending petals falling onto the arranged cobblestones.

"Mornin' Tessa!" A red and white bird-looking creature with a strange, feather hat approached them. "How was the Shadow Grove?"

"Morning Tony. It was a success, I'd say. The dungeon showed us some things about ourselves, as per usual. Can Tanner and I get a Pecha pie to split, for a start?"

"Tanner, eh? Well, welcome to Mayweather. I'm Tony. Not many Zorua around here. So- where are you from? " Tony asked.

"Uhh-" Tanner fumbled for an answer, not wanting to talk more about a place that would only lead to more questions.

"The road hasn't been kind to Tanner. He's still settling in, if you feel me. Just the Pecha pie will be fine." Tessa interrupted, thankfully. She glanced at Tanner and gave him a knowing wink.

Tony paused, then shrugged and left without a word, seeming to understand the implication. Tanner really didn't want to talk. This was probably a mistake. It was already too much for him.

They sat in silence for a while, with Tanner panicking and Tessa humming quietly to herself. She opened her eyes and, and glanced at Tanner. A blue shimmer surrounded her pigtails, then she broke the silence.

"You're doing great. You're like a Magikarp in water."

"...Is a Magikarp a fish? Because I don't…" Tanner narrowed his eyes. If a Magikarp was a kind of bird, he definitely felt like a Magikarp in water.

"Yes, It's a fish. It's a silly creature. Not particularly special on their own, but more potential than you could know. A bit like each of us, in that way." Tessa smiled and stared directly at Tanner. Tanner stared back, confused.

There were another few moments of silence, before Tony returned with a sweet-smelling pie. Oddly, it smelled similar to peaches.

It smelled delicious, and made him realize how hungry he was. Tanner didn't hesitate. The pie was warm, the filling was sweet and creamy. The crust, was buttery and flaky, and complemented the filling's sweetness. The gentle crunch of the crust and the fruit inside was enough to get him to relax just a little bit, and forget his worries. It almost reminded him of his mom's cooking.

"Morning Tess. Tanner- how are you feeling?" Tanner jumped, surprised at the unexpected voice.

Landon stood came over and sat next to their table. His ears were perked up, and his tail wagged gently, though he looked slightly worried… or perhaps just tired.

"I'm okay." Tanner mumbled, his mouth still half full.

"A wonderful morning to you, Landon. How have you been?" Tessa responded with her chin resting on her paws. She had a certain smugness to her, as if she had been waiting for the Mightyena.

"Fine." Landon rolled his eyes at her, then turned to Tanner, pausing for a moment as if to make sure he was physically well. He then asked gently- "Has she been pestering you too badly?"

Tanner shook his head. No, Tessa had been alright- he was the one who was being stupid. Breakfast actually really was nice.

"Of course not. We've just been bonding over delicacies." Tessa took a bit of the pie and tossed it into her mouth.

"Is that so? Nothing else?" Landon raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Not yet." Tessa smiled. "This morning, Tanner learned what a Salamence and a Lucario was. He told me about his hometown which is much bigger than Mayweather."

"Was there… something else you wanted?" Tanner wasn't quite sure what 'not yet' meant.

A moment of silence passed. Tessa picked at a nail and avoided their gazes.

Finally, Landon spoke. "Tess has been thinking too much about how you got in that dungeon. She has an idea that's wild and completely unlikely."

"It's just…" Tessa spoke suddenly, tapping her finger on her chin as she did. "Well, let me ask you this, Tanner. You don't remember how you got in that dungeon. What's more, your hometown is bigger than this, but we've never heard of it. Do you even know what you are?" The Lucario leaned forward, and blue energy surrounded the back of her head. She stared at him intently, as if watching for the slightest change in expression.

Tanner shied away. No, he didn't know what he was, and he was being put on the spot. Tanner's ears lowered as he tried to think. What did that bird say earlier? Z…

"A Zora?"

"...See? That's… close. Tessa, he's probably just traumatized." Landon sounded exasperated, though there was some hesitation in his response. Some curiosity.

"Right… Tony said it before, huh?" Tessa drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully. "It's just something you said that has been on my mind."

"Tess, please don't scare the kid." Landon pleaded. Tanner looked over at the Mightyena for help. They shared a glance. Landon was apologetic, but it was as if he knew from years of experience that once Tessa started, she couldn't be stopped. Worse, he wanted to know what she was about to ask.

"You said you wanted your body back. I just really don't know what that means. You don't know what most pokemon are, you're from a faraway town, and you've just been wide-eyed this whole time. I might be pulling strings here, but… Tanner, are you a Human?"