7. Healing beacon

"So, what was your occupation in your home world?"

Since the day before, and my revelation of the truth to my teammates, Kyan had been asking questions about me nonstop. I didn't think it was possible for him to be even more excited than his usual self, but it seemed the perspective of having a human, or rather a former human as a teammate was enough.

"Stop pestering him with questions, Kyan!". Topaz reprimanded him from the other side of our makeshift camp. But I knew that even if she tried not to pressure me with further questions of her own, she was also very much eager to know more about my past. And that she was all ears whenever I answered any of his questions, just as were my other teammates. Even John seemed to have noticed I had become even more the center of attention than before, and I sometimes surprised him giving me weird interrogative looks. I hoped I would have the opportunity to tell him the truth as soon as possible, but for that he would have to open his laptop.

"No, Topaz, that's fine. I really don't mind it" I told her, turning my head back to her. Kyan, who had instinctively lowered his ears flat on his head, perked up again. It was true I didn't mind his questions. For the few days I had been with them, I had kept everything to myself, trying hard to not let anything about me slip. It had been exhausting. Now that I didn't have to hide my past, it felt good to finally be able to let everything out. I smiled and got my attention back on Kyan.

"I was an engineer." Seeing he seemed confused by my answer, I quickly added an explanation. "I designed and built complex machines. Mostly airplanes, actually". I had realized that while they were as intelligent, if not more, than me, my teammates often had trouble grasping the more complex and specifically human concepts. So to answer some of their questions, I sometimes had to come up with more basic explanations.

I huffed a bit. "Well, it wasn't anything fancy. Pretty boring, actually, at least compared to what I have already experienced here." I said, after a moment of thoughts. Kyan didn't look like he agreed with that last statement, seeing as he had stars in his eyes as soon as I had mentioned I was working on airplanes.

"I've always wanted to go in an airplane" Kyan enthusiastically exclaimed, practically running in circle around in excitement.

I raised my eyebrows. "You never did? How do you guys travel when you need to go far?" I asked Topaz, rather intrigued by what the Jolteon had just said. Now that it was mentioned, it was true I did not see a single airplane in the sky since my arrival.

I was answered by Cobalt, who had also been quietly listening to us. "Most people use teleportation for long travels. You can certainly take a plane, but it is much less convenient. For shorter distances, there is also the option of paying for the services of a big flying Pokemon"

It was my time to be surprised. Teleportation? This world was getting weirder and weirder. Kyan seemed to notice my surprise and was quick to come up with another question, stopping right in front of me. "You don't have teleportation in your world?".

I sighed. The very concept of teleportation was strange, even considering this world's standards. "No. And no flying Pokemon either".

"No flying Pokemon?" I heard Topaz interject, having left her lying posture on the ground to look at me with wide eyes.

"Yeah, no flying Pokemon, as in, no Pokemon at all".

Oh boy, I had a still a lot of explaining to do.

Apparently, the concept of a world without any Pokemon was fascinating to them. At first, they didn't believe me, and thought I was pulling their leg. I had quite a hard time at explaining them that no, there weren't any Pokemon in my world, but that yes, we still could live properly. I told them about animals, and how they were "just like feral Pokemon here, but without any power and generally not as aggressive". Kyan was literally astonished by what I was saying, and I could see the others were quite engrossed in my words, though it wasn't nearly as visible. I wasn't very comfortable with being at the center of attention yet again, but I continued to tell them about my world anyway. It wasn't like I could avoid it now. Occasionally, one of them would question me about a thing, and I did my best to answer them, making sure not to use too much foreign concepts.

This long list of things that were different compared to here made me realize, again, how far away from home I was. This was all so similar but at the same time so fundamentally different.

"There is one thing I don't understand, though." Cobalt was speaking for the first time since I had begun my explanations. I gave him a interrogative look, and he continued. "If there are no Pokemon where you come from, how come you seem to already have knowledge about it?".

Uh. I hadn't thought about how to explain that, actually. I decided to be truthful. "It's …, uhm, a bit complicated. But basically, Pokemon exist only as a fictional concept. As parts of some stories, if you prefer. So yeah, I did have some previous knowledge about you guys, although it is quite limited."

They didn't seem very convinced by my explanation, except Kyan who would have believed anything I could tell them at this point. Topaz even raised an eyebrow, and I could see she was not sure wethr or not to believe me.

Thankfully, Amethyst unexpectedly helped me. "I am not that surprised, actually. Parts and fragments reaching other worlds and dimensions are not unheard of." After a moment of thoughts, she spoke again. "And, well, if Lapis has come here, others could have already done the same, maybe even in the opposite direction…"

I perked up at that. "Wait. So you think I may will be able to get back home?"

"I don't see why not" she said. "I have no knowledge on how to proceed, however." she added, looking apologetically at me. I didn't care though. I hadn't thought about it, but she was right. If bits of what I now knew was real here had somehow travelled to my world, this surely meant the trip back was possible!

Topaz got closer and nuzzled me affectionately. "I'm sure we will figure it out somehow". I smiled back at her. Yeah, I was sure we would.

They didn't stop trying to teach me the basics of battling skills. And I was thankful for that. My current capabilities were so limited compared to them that spending time training me was basically lost occasions to train themselves. Sometimes it felt like they were teaching a toddler – me - how to solve differential equations. Such was my current inaptitude at battling. But they didn't seem to mind, and even looked like they rather enjoyed the time spent with me. And I, in turn, was making some progress.

I had my tackles close to mastered. They had me practice those a lot on them, and while at the beginning they barely seemed to even notice my hits, they were now visibly flinching after each of my impacts. Sometimes, we reversed roles, and one of them, usually Kyan, tried to tackle me. I say "tried", but "succeeded 95% of the time" would be more accurate. He was just too fast for me. Nevertheless, as I was once again sent flying upside down by another of his lightning-fast attacks, he reminded me why we were doing that.

"Come on Lapis, I'm sure you can do better than that! You need to improve your dodging! And remember, each hit you receive helps increase your strength." He said, half snickering at me. I was pretty sure my air time after this hit had been close to one second.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm doing my best here" I grumbled, getting back up. Thankfully, this body seemed to be extraordinarily resilient. I would have expected the repetition of such impacts to be enough to have someone bedridden for at least a few days, but no. As a Pokemon, all I suffered was a few bruises and the loss of my already tenuous pride. This didn't mean it didn't hurt, though. And I suspected they were actually going easy on me…

"So, I believe it is time for you to learn something new. You seem to get your tackles mostly right, and your dodging skills are progressing, though you still need to work on that." Topaz had been watching us two from the sidelines and had stepped between us. I immediately rejoiced at what she had just said.

"Something new? Like, a new move?" I exclaimed, genuinely excited. Tackle was a great technique, sure, but it was still quite basic. Since I had seen the others in battles against feral Pokemon, I was eager to learn something more advanced. Something a bit more, well, spicy.

"Indeed. Your move pool is a bit limited, and you will need more to be able to really help us. I think something like a support move would be a great start." She turned to Kyan. "What support move could he use?".

The Jolteon seemed to think about it for a bit. "I think an Umbreon's main support move would be Moonlight."

"Moonlight, eh? I see. Someone will have to try and teach him then. If I remember correctly, this is a fairy type move, so I guess Amethyst is our best bet."

I interjected. "Wait, a support move? Can't you teach me something more, well, offensive?"

"Support and status moves are equally important as offensive moves, Lapis. Sometimes a fight can last longer than usual, and in those occasions, you will appreciate having a teammate boosting or healing you." She answered me with a smile. "I know it is always more tempting to go for the smokes and mirrors, but you will thank me in the long run. And, well, let's say that as soon as you master Moonlight, I will personally help you learn another move, an offensive one this time."

I was a bit disappointed by that, but I didn't show it. I guess she was right. It was really infuriating to not be capable of helping them against more dangerous foes and be forced to remain in the back. I wanted to contribute to the common effort, not be useless to them. And a status move, while not as impressive as I would have hoped, would still be a powerful tool to do just that.

"We still have some time before sunset. You should go ask Amethyst for her help. I'm sure she will be happy to lend a paw" Topaz added, nudging me in the direction of the crude campsite in which we had settled for the night. Looking there, I could see the Alolan Ninetales relaxing in the grass. John was there too and seemed to be working on something.

Thanking Kyan for his help, I left them and approached John and Amethyst. I hesitated for a second before getting too close from them. Frankly, I was still a bit intimidated by the Ninetales. I hadn't talked much to her yet, really. Compared to other members of the team, even compared to Cobalt, she wasn't very talkative and was reserved most of the time. This strange secrecy around the Ninetales, and this impression of power emanating from her, was quite off-putting. That, and the fact I suspected she knew something about my "condition" before I told the team the truth a few days before. It was only when her leadership was needed that she was really heard. And when she did talk, it was always with wise words, never impulsively.

I shook my head. I was sure I could count on her just as much as all the other members of the team. She hadn't done anything but to help me since I had joined the team, only not in the same way as the others, but more indirectly. I walked the few meters that still separated me from the ranger and his ice Ninetales.

John didn't notice me. He was too focused on his work, and was looking closely as some sort of map. Amethyst, however, did. Though she was lying on the forest ground and had her head pointed away from me, she must had heard me, as her right ear suddenly jerked towards my general direction. She turned her head to look at me in the eyes, her cold blue irises boring into mine.

"Can I help you, Lapis?", she inquired, with her usual calm voice.

"Yes, um, actually, I do need your help. Topaz said that you may be able to help me learn Moonlight, since you are part fairy type…" I replied, still a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, Moonlight? That sounds like a good idea. Of course I will help you. I do not know how to perform this move myself, but I should be able to provide you with some guidance on how to do it." She got up and barked at John. After a quick nod from him – he must've understood what she wanted to do with me – she led me to an area a bit more isolated from the camp. I followed her in silent, not really having anything to add that would not sound stupid.

"Here, we will have silence. You will need it." She stated, closing her eyes and stopping to take a deep breath of the fresher air from the last hours of the day. I sat beside her, my rings slowly pulsating with their blueish hue, and tried to relax. I was quite excited. I was eager to finally get to use this body's potential, and experiment something truly supernatural.

After this minute of calm wait, Amethyst spoke again. "As I said, I cannot do Moonlight myself. However, I am also part Fairy type, so I certainly can help you with some pointers." I nodded, impatient to get to it. "Now, the first thing you need to do, and that is true for almost all advanced moves, is to be aware of your core energy".

I frowned. "My core energy? What do you mean by that?".

"Don't you feel it flowing in you? Every day, every hour, every second, your energy stays here, inside. It is what defines you, as a Pokemon. It is what we use for our moves and powers." She paused for an instant, smiling at me. "Most of it remains in you core. See it as a Pokemon's second heart. The more experience you get, the more present this energy becomes." She got up suddenly and took a few steps away from me. Raising her heat towards the sky, she let out a large and powerful gust of icy air. Surprised at first by her unexpected display, I rapidly couldn't help being in awe, seeing as the ambient water above us condensed and fell back in a light mist. It was truly beautiful. With a grin, she then continued her speech, as if nothing had happened.

"You see, every time a Pokemon uses a move, a part of his energy is consumed. Advanced moves drain more energy, and as such, having a bigger energy level allows you to use more, or more powerful moves." I just listened without a word, engrossed in her explanations. "Now, close your eyes, concentrate, and try to locate you core. Try to feel your energy."

I did as she said. I closed my eyes and forced myself to take deep breaths. Silence reigned once again on the area. But I soon realized I was assaulted by my thoughts. I couldn't concentrate. Maybe this was my anxiety, or just how weirded I still was in this body. Feeling the wind on my fur, for instance, was a new sensation that had unnerved me since the beginning, and it was hard not to focus on that. No matter how hard I tried, I felt nothing.

After a few minutes of me desperately trying, I gave up. "I'm sorry, I just can't. I don't know how to focus on something I am not even aware of!" I said, opening back my eyes. I was quite disappointed.

She shook her head. "You are doing it wrong, Lapis. You should not focus on it. You feel it. It is a primal part of you, like an instinct."

"But I don't feel anything either! Maybe I don't have energy? I was human before; this may mean I did not get a core!". I was getting somewhat frustrated at this point. I didn't see where all of this was going.

She shook her head again. "No, I am sure you are mistaken."

I sighed. "What makes you say that?" I asked her, not believing it would work anymore. If any advanced move was out of reach for me, I would forever remain close to useless to the team in any sort of fight.

"First, humans do have a core and energy, they just cannot tap in it, bar some rare exceptions." She stated matter-of-factly.

I was genuinely surprised from this. "They do? But…"

"And second, I can say for a fact that you do have a core and some energy in you right now," she continued, ignoring me. "Just take a look at your rings."

I glanced on my right foreleg. Sure enough, here it was, close to my chest. A blue circle, faintly glowing in a pulsating pattern in the dim lighting of the evening, which gave it a bit of an eerie aura. But nothing different than usual.

I shrugged. "Yeah. What about it? Aren't every Umbreon supposed to have those?"

"How do you think they can glow like this?" she asked me, smiling again.

"Uh, well, um… Bioluminescence maybe?" I replied, unsure as to where she was going with those questions. "But I am not sure what could explain the fact they are pulsating like that… I really don't know."

"They glow because of your energy, Lapis. They pulsate at the same rhythm of your core."

I took a second look at my rings. She was right. I had until now assumed that the pulsation pattern was that of my heartbeat. But now that I was paying it more attention, it was clear it was not the case. It was a bit slower.

"It is … my energy … that makes those glow?" I asked her, surprised.

Her grin widened. "Exactly. Now, try again to feel it in you. You can focus on your rings if that helps." Looking back at the sky, she closed her eyes and returned to her meditative state. The area was once again in silence. I guess it meant I had to attempt it again.

This time, I tried to follow her advice, and forced myself to concentrate on the faint glowing of my rings. After a moment, once I had the rhythm solidly in mind, I closed my eyes.

There was something. Something faint. Barely noticeable. But I was sure of it. And it occurred in tempo with the ring glows. This was it! It had to be my energy! I focused on it, tried to, somehow, sharpen my perception of it. And to my own surprise, it worked. I could even locate its origin, right in the chest, where I supposed was my heart. The more I focused on it, the more it felt present. It remained feeble, but still. It was mine. I …

"Are you getting it? I can see your rings glow stronger …" Not wanting to lose what I had achieved, I just nodded as an answer, not even daring to open an eye or say something. After a second, she continued. "Perfect. Now, Lapis, I want you to, well, get ahold of a part of your energy, and try to put it outside your body. You need to allow you energy to escape your core if you want to do a move."

This did not make much sense to me, but I nodded again, nevertheless. I was close, I knew it. I tried to visualize this energy inside of me. It was kinda like a ball? A small ball whose middle was my core, and with flows of energy originating there and filling my whole body. It was hard to conceptualize what was just a feeling. I tried to consciously force some of this energy out of the ball and lead it outside of my body. It was easier said than done, but I managed to get a tiny part of it to what I thought was the edge of my body. With a final mental effort, I pushed it outside and opened my eyes.

I barely caught a glimpse of some kind of blurry white shape fizzling out of existence on my right, and of a Ninetales jumping on the side to avoid it. I was surprised to see myself panting, as if what I had just done had exhausted me. Amethyst was looking at me with amused eyes, and, I thought, a bit of proudness in her eyes.

"You did it! Well, you almost did it!" she said excitedly. I had never seen her as joyful as she was now, and I could not help but be really happy myself. This white thing I had just seen, zipping on the side, it was my energy! My first try at an advanced move!

"Now, it wasn't really a Moonlight you did there. It was more like an uncontrolled discharge of energy. But basically, it is the same process. You just need to control your energy even when it is outside your body, and let it radiate to heal your teammates" Amethyst added, settling back to her usual calm self, but retaining a large smile.

I tried the whole thing again. Concentrating, I located my core without much trouble this time, and faster. Separating a part of my energy from it, I pushed it in the same manner towards the outer edge of my body. But this time, I still tried to keep it in control as it got out of me. This proved to be hard. It felt like the energy, once outside the body, was extremely unstable. I did my best to retain it, visualizing it floating a few centimeters above my forehead. But after a few seconds, it just disappeared by itself. Just like the last time, I was left panting and feeling a bit drained of my stamina.

As I was opening my eyes again, I heard Amethyst comment on my new attempt. "That certainly was better, Lapis. I think you get it now" she said. "A few points you should know, though. From what I understand of similar moves, this the intent when you initiate the move that determines if it is offensive or, in this case, a support one. You also need to pay attention to how much energy you invest when you use it. More energy means you will get more healing potency. But as I think you noticed, it is also more difficult to pull off and will deplete your energy faster. So, be cautious and don't burn it all in one go. Battles are often won by the side with the most endurance." She got up from her standing position and started walking back to the camp.

"Thank you so much, Amethyst!" I exclaimed, my tail wagging unconsciously behind me.

She stopped for a second to look at me with a smile over her shoulder. "I think that is pretty much all I could tell you about this move. It is just a matter of training, now, and using it in real situations."

"I will do that for sure!" I replied, nodding. I couldn't believe I was able to do that. It felt so foreign, so illogical to me. Yet, at the same time, it felt natural. As if I was made for this, or rather, as if this body was made for this. Which was very much the case. I just needed to reconcile my mind and this body.

I spent the remaining of the evening trying to improve my newly acquired skill. I found it increasingly difficult to perform the move, and thought it was because my energy was rapidly depleting from all my failed attempts. In the end, I was becoming tired, so I called it a day and got back to the camp. I was greeted upon my return by Topaz and Cobalt. Both were in the process of settling for the night. Which was not much to say, really, as we usually just slept on the bare ground. The nights were still warm enough to not be bothered by the cold.

"How did it go?" Cobalt asked me in a whisper. Both he and the Arcanine seemed tired. The sun had set some time ago, and if you looked up, the stars could already be seen in between the dark tree leaves. In the corner of my eyes, I could see that Kyan was already fast asleep. Even he had to get his share of shut eye, especially after how energetic he usually was during the day. I, however, wasn't tired. The opposite, even. It was one of the perks of being of a nocturnal species.

Rather than answering him directly, I closed my eyes and focused again. I was pleased to feel, after a moment, a small ball of energy above my head that plunged our part of the camp in a faint halo of light. I let it disappear after a couple of seconds. I gave them a bright smile.

They both congratulated me silently, though they were careful not to wake up the others. But what brought me the most joy was seeing John, his head through the entrance of his tent, looking at me with a smile and proudness showing in his tired eyes. He must have had noticed the light from my Moonlight through the fabric of his tent. He gave me a little nod, a thumbs up, and got back inside.

No, tonight, I wasn't going to be depressed, or homesick. If I didn't know how to get back home yet, now I could at least have a role in my team. This gave me motivation. And that was all I really needed.

Some notes from the author:

Still with some more delay, here is chapter 7. Thanks a lot to all of you who took some time to read this, followed or even left a comment. I appreciate it a lot.