3. An impromptu stranger

This time, the night was pretty uneventful. My bed proved to be comfortable, especially after my experience in the forest, and I slept well. I needed it, too. The events in the wild, and the lack of sleep since my arrival here had taken a toll on me.

Still, I was taken by surprise as I woke up suddenly upon hearing the sound of someone knocking at my door. It took me a few second to remember my situation, and that it was probably John here to get me. I had wanted to wake up a bit before he would come, but apparently, I didn't manage it. Well, without any sort of alarm clock, it wasn't very surprising. Besides, I had always been a heavy sleeper anyway, and it seemed that characteristic of mine had stuck with me here.

John seemed to have had a good night too. I could tell that from his smile and joyful expression. I guess he was happy to finally get to present me to the rest of his team, too.

"Hello there, Lapis! Had a good night?" he asked me, now standing beside me on the bed. I responded by a short bark, clumsily standing up on my bed at the same time. I eyed warily his belt, from which hung 5 pokeballs. I supposed the last spot was mine. I wasn't particularly looking forward to get back inside it though. While my first experience in a ball hadn't been necessarily bad, it hadn't left me an amazing memory either.

"Ok, so, I've been cleared to take you with me this morning. We just have to go to the entrance desk to get some papers, and we are good to go". He was genuinely happy to get me out of here, and I must admit his mood was communicative. I was even surprised to notice my tail had begun to wag behind me. I guess I was happier with the situation than what I would have wanted, and it was showing. John seemed to have caught that too, since his smiled widened.

"Come on, then" he said, inviting me to jump off the bed and follow him. I did just that with some difficulty, nearly faceplanting myself on the ground. John was keeping an eye on me, making sure I was close behind him.

We walked down the hospital center corridor. Some doors were left open, and I could see Pokemon and animals laying on beds much like mine, in various health conditions. Here, what I was pretty sure was a Shinx, lying on a bed similar to mine and seemingly asleep. There, a bird Pokemon whose species I couldn't remember, with a broken wing under some sort of cast. In this room, another quadrupedal Pokemon, covered by so many bandages that I nearly didn't recognize it as a Vulpix. Some of those Pokemon were apparently in a far worse state than I had been. But at least it seemed that the people here were taking good care of them. All of this was a bit overwhelming, and the mix of foreign sounds and, more importantly, all those artificial scents, made me wish I could get out of there faster.

After taking a lift down, we finally reached the main entrance hall of the facility. John stopped at the front desk and talked to the receptionist. Staying still on the ground beside him, I didn't really listen to their conversation. Instead, I focused on my surroundings. There was a lot going on here, with many hospital staff, but also regular people. I suspected they were here to get their companions treated. This place was really a weird mix between a veterinary clinic and a hospital. Coupled with a wildlife center too, given wild Pokemon were also brought here.

«Come, Lapis, we can go now » I was interrupted in my thoughts by John, who had finished with the receptionist. He had begun walking towards the exit. I quickly caught up on him, and we exited the hospital together.

The outside was, well, quite not what I had expected. I had the time to think about how a world with Pokemon like here would work, as I had been waiting on my hospital bed. I had been pretty sure the whole society would be shaped around them. Yet, what I could see, exiting the hospital, was instead a pretty normal view. If not for a few Pokemon that could be seen here and there, one could have believed I was still on Earth, in a suburban setting. Cars were rolling about in the streets, looking quite similar to those I already knew, albeit a bit more modern, I guess. Really, nothing out of the ordinary. If the outside wasn't unfamiliar to me, my perception of it, however, certainly was. I was literally assaulted by smells that were seemingly coming from everywhere. They were ranging from the scent of the trees beside the road, to the unpleasant emanations of cars wheezing along it. While I had already noticed, back in the forest or just now in the hospital, my enhanced sense of smell, I hadn't been nearly as overwhelmed as I was now.

John walked past the few trees, with me following him close behind. He was practically radiating happiness, and I found myself in a joyful mood too.

«First thing first, we will go to where I stayed while you were being treated. There I will present you to the rest of my team. » he said, turning his head back at me. The little medical center had disappeared behind us at the corner of the street. I was a bit apprehensive of the "meeting with his other Pokemon" part, but I replied a « Yes » that sounded like a bar anyway. I had chosen to trust him, and that meant trusting the rest of his team too. Trusting them enough to reveal my peculiar « condition », I wasn't too sure, though. I had no idea how they could react to the truth, let alone if I would ever be able to be understood by them enough to tell them. As far as I was concerned, they could just be like animals, only a bit smarter. I wouldn't know for sure unless I meet them directly.

«You are quite the thinker, aren't you? » John, seeming quite amused by my moment of absence, had startled me out of my thoughts. Oh boy, yes, I was, and it certainly wasn't the last time it would happen either.

«Anyway, we are here. » He gestured towards a building in front of us. It looked like some kind of motel, with a dozen of individual little bungalows. Cars were parked in front of some of them. I saw a woman playing with a tiny bird. Judging from the puffs of fire it was making, it wasn't just a regular bird. I guess I would have to get used to it: every being here, even the most insignificant, had the capacity to hurt me or worse. I was suddenly thankful to be with John. I wouldn't have survived even a week without his protection.

He led us to one of the bungalows on the left and reached for his keys in his pocket. Before opening the door, he pivoted to face me.

«I will now present you to my team. I know you may not be comfortable with all the attention you have been and will be getting, but I promise you all four of them should be really friendly. » Uh, Uh. Well, I didn't have a choice, did I? Let's get over with it. I barked a positive reply, and giving me a smile, he turned the key and opened the door.

«Hey, I'm back from the center with our new teammate. Come here to welcome Lapis! »

Immediately after he voiced that, two Pokemon appeared at an open door in front of us. The first was a yellow canine like Pokemon, with a very spiky fur that seemed to be sparkling with static electricity. I recognized him as a Jolteon. Another Eevee evolution. He had a very friendly smile on his face. The other was the female Arcanine I had already met back in the forest. She was far bigger than us two and I was hardly able to repress a shiver, getting a flashback to when she had attacked me. Even though I now knew it was to protect John, I think I had been a bit traumatized by it. Fortunately, she also was smiling warmly to me.

«Hello, and welcome to our team. I'm Kyan, and I think you already had quite the encounter with Topaz here? »

It took me a moment to process what I had just heard. Who had been talking? That wasn't John, I was sure he hadn't. So this could only be the Jolteon! Just like when I had been trying to talk, it was only a bunch of vaguely canine sounds, but I understood it as words and sentences. It took me some painful seconds to get over the fact animals here were talking and sentient…

«I believe your name is Lapis, right? Is everything OK? You seem a bit weird»

Shit, I really need to pay attention.

« Yeah, yeah, I'm OK. It's just, I've been through a lot lately. » Oh boy, you have no idea. « And yes, my name is Lapis, well, John named me like that »

The Arcanine, Topaz, entered the discussion:

«Did you have a previous name? If you want, you can just tell it to John and I'm sure he will be happy to use it instead. »

"No need, this one's fine, really."

She nodded in understanding and continued: "I have to apologize for our first encounter. I wasn't aware you weren't aggressive and thought you were attacking John. I didn't want to scare you like that."

"That's alright, I understand." I was quite reassured now that I had seen she wasn't a foe anymore. She even seemed really friendly.

"Come on, let's present you the rest of the team."

The two began walking towards the door from where they arrived. I glanced at John, who was still behind me and had been listening to our small talk, even though he must not have understood much of it. He gave me a smile and little gesture to encourage me to go after them, so I did.

The bungalow wasn't that big. After crossing a room I suspected was John's, we arrived at a glass door that gave access to the outside. There was a large area of grass, some trees, and an outdoor table with chairs. But what was most noticeable was the very large Pokemon lying on the ground, sleeping. It was huge, at least compared to me, and looked like a rhinoceros. I had definitely seen this Pokemon somewhere. Wasn't it called a Rhynorn?

"Cobalt, get up, you lazy thing!" Kyan said playfully. Apparently, it was enough to wake him up, as he opened an eye and began to stand up heavily. After a few seconds of drowsiness, he finally seem to notice me. I was pretty intimidated now. His enormous body was towering over me. And the scars all over his armor certainly hinted a lot of past battles and hardships.

"Oh, please excuse me! I had completely forgotten you were due to come today. It is a pleasure meeting you. My name is Cobalt, and I have the role of tank in this team." He said in a humorous tone.

"Mine is Lapis. Forgive me, I'm a bit nervous, I've never been this close to a Pokemon of your size before." He seemed to be a decent enough fellow, but given our size difference, I just couldn't help being nervous.

He laughed lightly. "Oh, it's quite alright. You aren't the first one to tell me that. Rest assured, I pay great attention to my surroundings, and don't crush my teammates, only my enemies! The others can confirm that to you."

"Yeah, he almost never steps on us inadvertently!" the Jolteon added, smirking.

"I see our new teammate has arrived!" We were suddenly interrupted and turned our heads to see a newcomer arrive. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful Pokemon I had seen since my arrival here. It was a large canine or fox creature, bigger than me at least but quite smaller than Topaz. She, because I was quite sure it was a she, had a very lustrous icy white fur, that reminded me that of a polar rabbit or fox. Her piercing cold blue eyes only added to her regal and respect-inducing presence. But perhaps the most striking element of her appearance were the incredible tails she dragged behind her. I was left speechless.

Cobalt leaned a bit closer to me and whispered. "Meet Amethyst, the original and oldest member of the team."

"I was John's first Pokemon back when I was still a Vulpix" said the Ninetales, who apparently had heard that. "We rarely get to have new teammates, so I'm looking forward knowing you better and working together"

"I don't think I will be very useful to you all. I'm not very used to fighting", I replied. What an understatement! I couldn't fight at all, I would be completely useless in a battle!

"Do not say that!". She reprimanded me, looking quite unnerved by what I had just said. "With a bit of training, every Pokemon can make the difference in battle."

Oh boy, I didn't think she realized the extent of my inexperience! It was more than training I would need! I had just barely mastered the "walking on all four" thing!

"I, uh, will do my best." I said, sheepishly.

"I expect nothing less of all members of our small team, Lapis", she replied.

To my relief, Kyan came to my rescue. "Don't worry too much about that. We'll help you train and do most of the work ourselves." I wasn't about to refuse any help, so I nodded.

We spent the next few hours speaking about the team and they showed me the rest of the place. I got to know a little more of my teammates' personality.

Cobalt, the Rhynorn, was a gentle giant. He spent most of that day sleeping lazily anyway, but during the few interactions I had with him, he was very soft spoken. Despite his massive size, he liked to remain discreet, and was actually a bit shy.

Topaz, the Arcanine, was also very friendly. She seemed to be wanting to mend our relationship after our negative first encounter, even though I didn't retain anything against her. She acted a bit like a mother to me, constantly asking if I needed anything.

Kyan, the Jolteon, was younger than me, apparently. He was his species' equivalent of a teen. Being by far the youngest of the team, he certainly was very happy I joined, and had a communicative joyfulness around me. I suspected he saw me a bit like a brother, with me being quite close in both age and of course species. He had tried his best to break my apparent shyness and get me to play with him. Without much success, as I had other things to worry about at the moment.

Last but not least, Amethyst, the Ninetales. She was certainly the most enigmatic of the bunch. As John's first Pokemon, she had the role of leading us and was the prime intermediate between us and the ranger. She wasn't talking much, honestly, and when she did, it was only to say serious things. While also friendly to me, she always seemed to look at me with piercing eyes, as if she was suspecting something and could look at my past by just staring at me. And given my lacking knowledge of this world's Pokemon, it could be that she had the ability to do just that. So I couldn't help being a bit uncomfortable around her.

The rest of the day had been pretty uneventful. John had spent most of the afternoon planning our future assignments. As a ranger, he was tasked with missions of varying difficulties and located everywhere in a huge zone he oversaw. That meant the team had to do a lot of walking, considering most of the mission locations were in the wild and thus were not accessible by car. This also forced John to do a rigorous planning work beforehand: he had to pick our itinerary carefully, choose the places where we would stop for the night, and optimize all of that so we kept being on schedule.

Fortunately, he already had a few years of experience at that. When he had started this job, with only Amethyst, then a Vulpix, as a companion, it hadn't been easy. But, Topaz told me, he proved to be very talented at this job and was quick to gain experience. He was now a seasoned ranger, and his team had bonded during the numerous missions they had done over the years.

And I, who had just been thrown into this world, was now forced to make myself a place into this group. They all had been great with me, and very welcoming. But I feared what they would say once they measured just how inexperienced I was. I would just be dead weight to them.

"Are you interested in that map?" John asked me, having looked up from his work to face me. I had, with some difficulties, jumped on an empty chair beside him, and was currently trying to take a look at the map he was using, with my front paws gripping the edge of the table. I figured knowing where I was in this world would be a good thing, but I was disappointed to see names and places I didn't recognize. However, I could read the names in the country in which we apparently were right now, (Kalos, according to the map) and they looked somewhat familiar? It was like I had already seen those somewhere. Weird. John was still looking intently at me. Damn it, I had been daydreaming again!

I did a short nod to him, at which he smiled. He pointed his finger to a town on the map. "We are here, in Vaniville. It's a small city in the center of Kalos." Yep, this one didn't ring any bells.

"Starting tomorrow morning, we will walk to this forest" He continued, now pointing at another position northwest of our current location. "Our next wildlife surveillance mission is there. It will be a great occasion to show you what our job is all about".

I was curious about how a ranger job in such a world would differ from those from my world. If he needed the help of a Pokemon team to do it, I suspected it was a bit more dangerous. That was frightening but also kinda exciting. This place had to be full of secrets I would be able to discover!

"Ok, I think it's already time for dinner!" he said, standing up. "I'm gonna fetch you all something to eat. We need to be up early tomorrow, so let's not wait too long."

I had hoped that John would be giving me something better than just kibbles to his Pokemon, but unfortunately, he only presented to me a bowl of something suspiciously looking like what I had been given at the hospital. It was pretty much the same experience: great smell, but unappetizing look and very bland taste. In comparison, what John was eating was surely more appealing. But getting some of his serving was out of question. It seemed I would need to get used to it.

My teammates, however, looked unphased by the mediocrity of our meal. Quite the opposite in fact: Kyan seemed to be thinking it was the most exquisite of dishes and was literally gorging himself with the stuff.

"You are not eating, Lapis?". Topaz had stopped eating and had noticed my indecision with the food. The Arcanine had herself already finished her bowl.

"Well, I will, it's just that, uh, I've a lot in mind"

"If anything is the matter, you can tell us, ok? We'll be glad to help."

"Alright, understood." By that point, the other Pokemon in the team were also looking at me, so I forced myself to start eating the kibbles.

"Say, Lapis…". I had only begun to reluctantly eat my food when Topaz talked to me again, prompting me to pause and look back up at her.

"Yes?"

"Now that you have met us, could you maybe tell us a bit about you? We barely know anything about yourself" she said. I noticed the rest of the team hadn't resumed eating after the last interruption and were still eyeing me. Even John had somehow understood the importance of this discussion and had stopped his own dinner to look at us. Or rather, to look at me. Uh oh. Time for difficult questions it seemed…

"Oh, yes, we want to learn more about you!" said a very excited Kyan. The young Jolteon was genuinely enthusiastic about knowing me better, and his tail was wagging behind him energetically.

I had two options. First, I could lie about my past and forge a credible story. But I quickly ruled that out: my very limited knowledge of this world would surely betray me to the others. And I wasn't a very good liar anyway. The second option was to tell the truth. It was really tempting. But I didn't know how they would react. I didn't want to end up in a lab or worse yet, in a psychiatric hospital. Surely my story would be difficult to believe? I decided to play it safely and do a mix of those two options.

"Well, that will be a bit difficult" I said, looking down at my front paws to avoid meeting their gaze.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't remember a thing further than a few hours before stumbling on John in the forest. Prior to that, it's all blurry". This would give me time to know them a bit more. I could always tell them the truth later…

"So, like, you have amnesia? You can't recall anything?". The others, and Kyan in particular, seemed shocked by my revelation.

"I'm afraid I can't" I told them, looking apologetic.

This time it was Topaz who spoke. "Oh, I'm so sorry for you! We'll do anything to help you out of that situation."

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm sure your memories will get back eventually" Cobalt said, his first words in the conversation.

They all seemed very sorry for me and wanted to help me. Now I felt bad about lying to them like that, but eh, I had my reasons…

John was still looking at us funny from his seat at the table. Evidently, he wasn't understanding us, but he could tell it was all about me.

"Is everything alright, Lapis?" he asked me, genuinely concerned.

A bit shy now, I nodded to him. That seemed to surprise the others.

"You don't want to tell him? He could maybe help with that! Give you some sort of medication or something like that." Topaz told me, confused.

"No, I want to see if my memories could come back to me by themselves. Besides, I don't want to worry him." This would give me a bit of time, I thought.

"I promise you I will if I get no memory improvement in the next few weeks" I added quickly, seeing they hadn't been very convinced by my explanation.

"Ok, I guess it's your call, so I won't force you to" Topaz said, sighing.

The rest of the dinner went well, without too much questions, fortunately. I got to know more about how John got each of them in his team along the years. Most of them were Pokemon he stumbled across because of his job, and who had chosen, for a reason or another, to stick with him. Just like I did actually. Kyan, for example, had been left alone after the death of his parents when he was still a young Eevee. He had been very fortunate John found him and took care of him. No wonder why he was craving for friendship with me. I guess I reminded him of his family.

After we finished eating, Topaz showed me where I was supposed to sleep for the night. That being directly on the ground. I wasn't very thrilled with the idea, of course, but the others didn't seem bothered by it so I wasn't about to complain. I guess I had to embrace my newfound animality sooner or later. I wasn't ready to cuddle with my teammates, though, so I put some distance with them. They seemed a bit surprised by it but didn't ask anything. As all lights were shut and silence began its reign, I was left alone with my thoughts.

It seemed I had won myself some more time, but the moment I would have to tell the truth, at least to them, would inevitably come. I would worry about that later, though. I had more pressing matters at hand. While I wasn't in immediate danger anymore, my situation was by no means great. Soon, I was sure, I would be forced to fight for John and with my team. From what I had gathered, the job of ranger, here, wasn't easy. I would have to learn, and fast. It seemed my search for a way home would have to wait…