Entering the cave has never been this scary for the newly evolved Zoroark, and it wasn't because of the fact everything felt more claustrophobic after evolving.
It was the fact that he had to face his stubborn dad.
At least his friends and her sister were there to support him.
"I never met an actual Alpha before. Is it true that they are huge?" Sneasel asked.
"Yeah. That doesn't help our case at all"
"I still can't believe you want to disguise yourself as a human..." Eevee sighed.
"The other option is to be the next Alpha, and I'm not doing that!"
"You are crazy, little bro"
"I'm taller than you now"
"But you still are my little bro!"
Dad was talking about something with mom when the group found them. The female Zoroark patted her brother's back, encouraging him.
"Umm...dad?"
"Not now, pup"
"I uhh...I evolved"
Alpha suddenly stopped talking, and both of them looked at the fox. "Pup! You evolved!" Alpha exclaimed.
"I'm not a pup!"
Alpha ignored him. "That's great! Now we can begin teaching you how to be the next Alpha!"
"Ummm, actually there is something I need to tell you..."
"What is it, pup?"
"I uhhh..."
Zoroark looked at his friends, and all of them nodded silently. "Being an Alpha is great and all, but I...kinda don't want to be the next one...?"
Silence fell over the room for a few minutes, when it was broken by a loud laugh coming from Alpha.
"That's a fun one!"
"It's not a joke!" The smaller fox yelled, angrily. "I'm being serious!"
Alpha's laughter slowly died down and he turned to look at his pup with a stern look. Zoroark recoiled a bit, but held his ground.
"I don't think I ever asked for your opinion"
"Yeah, and that's the problem!"
Alpha didn't expect for him to reply. "You never ask for anyone's opinion! It always has to be your way! I don't want to be the next Alpha! And you know why? Because that means getting stuck here in this cave! I don't want that! I want to explore the world!"
"IT WILL BE MY WAY UNTIL YOU ARE THE ONE THAT MAKES THE RULES, PUP! SO YOU BETTER STOP WITH THAT NONSENSE AND DO WHAT I SAY!" Alpha roared.
"No. I'm done. I'm not a pup anymore" He said while walking away.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"You don't wanna change your mind, do you? Then I'm leaving. I don't want to be the next Alpha, and if I have to freeze to death to avoid it, then so be it. Goodbye"
"Wha-?! GET BACK HERE!"
But Zoroark didn't listen. He kept walking away, despite the confused looks of both his friends and his packmates.
He finally arrived at the entrance of the cave, where he sat down and he regret everything he had just said.
His friends arrived soon after.
"What in Arceus' name was that?" Eevee asked.
"That went horrible!" Sneasel added.
His sister walked down the hallway with a worried look.
"Little bro, I think you crossed a line this time. Dad is pissed. Really pissed. He said that if you get out of the cave, you are as good as expelled from the pack.
Two faint gasps were heard.
"What am I supposed to do now, then? Walk back there and say sorry? He's the one that has to apologize! He didn't even ask how I evolved or anything! He just went straight to wanting to teach me! I don't want to be expelled, but I'm not going back there until I hear an apology!"
"You know you are not getting that. I didn't want to say it, but I think it's best if you give up your dream"
Those words hit Zoroark like a Braviary flying straight at him. "No way! I'm so close to doing it now!"
His sister sighed. "I knew you would say that..." She then kneeled down, and smirked. "And that's why we are going to help you!"
"Yeah!" Sneasel exclaimed.
"What?" Eevee and Zoroark yelled, one of them with confusion, and the other one with hope.
"Yeah! You just have to pretend to give up! Then, when he sends you to do whatever he wants you to do, you can just practice whatever you need to! And we will help you with your tasks! Isn't that right, guys?"
"Heck yeah! No one messes with my friend! Not even his own dad!" Sneasel agreed.
"That's dangerous! What if you get caught? It could end horribly for both of you!" Eevee countered.
"Eevee, we need your help! You are the only one that knows the slightest bit of how to speak human language! We can't do it without you!"
"I don't know..."
"Come on! It'll be fun!" Sneasel tried to convince her.
"Pretty please...?" Her other friend begged.
"Ugh, fine! But if anything goes wrong, I'll kill you right after your dad does!"
"Heck yeah!"
"I wouldn't celebrate so soon, little bro. You still gotta go back there..." His sister told him.
"Shit"
The next half hour was the most humiliating half hour that Zoroark had to go through in his entire life, but at least it was over. Some of his packmates had even told him that he had some real guts, which was nice, but not nice enough to balance the rest of the experience.
Now, the group was sitting in the two siblings' small cave, discussing what they were going to do next.
"Alright, so dad wants me to go with him to the spot where Eevee and I watched the combat that got me grounded tomorrow, so that he can teach me how to hunt bigger prey. Convenientely, there is a human there, which is the perfect training dummy to learn how to copy a human body. Obviously, dad is not going to let me alone out there, much less let me get too close to a human. That's why we need to convince him to do that!" The male Zoroark explained.
"And how do you expect to do that? Remember that you almost got expelled today" Eevee asked.
"Easy! I am going to go with them and when dad does a perfect hunt in front of us, I'll tell him that he should leave him alone, so that he tries the same way as he would do it alone"
"Can't he just turn invisible?" Sneasel asked.
"No. Zoroark can feel when another Zoroark is watching them hidden under an illusion, much more clearly if it's an Alpha, and that would only result in worse results. That's why he has to go away. When he does, sis will try to distract him for as long as she can while I spend that time copying that warden's body!"
"But what happens when you come back with empty paws?" Eevee inquired.
"I won't, because I'll bring some pathetic prey, and we'll have to repeat the process to train!"
"I'm not too sure..." Eevee replied.
"Sounds like a plan" Sneasel added.
"So everyone knows where and when they have to be?" The female fox asked.
"Yeah!" Everyone else yelled.
"Then we are done. Now everyone go back to their dens before your parents start to worry"
As Eevee and Sneasel walked away, the two siblings were left alone. "Thank you for everything you are doing for me, sis"
"No problem, bro. That's what I'm here for. Now you should rest, you've got a hard day to face"
"No kidding"
"See, pup? This is how you do it"
Alpha had just finished hunting a few Lickitung, all the while he was explaining to Zoroark all the trips and tricks on to how to make his own hunts easier.
His sister was allowed to tag in as emotional support, which was greatly appreciated.
"Now that you've seen how to do it, we'll take these three back and I'll teach you the next step"
"Umm, actually dad, wouldn't it be better if we let him try to hunt something on his own? I can help you carrying the prey!" Zoroark's sister interjected.
"And why would we do that?" Alpha inquired.
"Because maybe he has understood it, but how do you know that he knows how to actually do it?" She replied.
Surprisingly, that managed to work. "You are right! Alright pup, you'll head off to hunt another Lickitung and bring it back to the den. Me and your sister will head back with what we've got so far, and I expect you to bring something else too. Good luck, pup, although you shouldn't need it"
When Alpha turned around, carrying two of the corpses, the other fox grabbed the remaining one and silently added. "Good luck!"
Once Zoroark was certain that they were gone, he gave his friends the signal. "Alright, guys! You can come out now!"
Two mounds of snow collapsed, revealing Eevee and Sneasel, who had been hiding there the whole time.
"I'm still not sure about this, at all!" She yelled, shivering a bit. "And I'm so cold too!"
"Quit complaining and let's set off already!" Sneasel interjected.
After a grumble coming from Eevee, the group headed to the big field covered in bigger ice chunks. And doing his regular exercise, there he stood: Warden Gaeric.
"One, two, three! One, two, three!" He kept repeating, while doing some push-ups.
"How is that guy not freezing?! I'm covered in fur, and I'm still cold!" Zoroark commented.
"I really don't know. I guess all that exercise keeps him warm? Dude, look at those abs..." Sneasel added.
"Why don't we start doing what we've come here to do?" Eevee interrupted.
"You are right. Let me try..."
Zoroark closed his eyes and tried to visualize all the changes he had to do to his body, just when he disguised as a Pokémon, only this time, it was a human.
Let's see...hairless body except in the head, blue eyes and hair, clothes in my legs and on my waist...oh! And a weird marking on my chest...
He covered himself in a ghostly aura, and grew taller. When he made himself visible again...
"Ummm...how do I explain this to you..." Eevee tried to say.
"You look horrible. That's it" Sneasel stated.
"Yeah"
Zoroark had managed to make a convincing illusion on the bottom part of his body, which was covered in the same clothes as the real human, but the upper part was completely wrong.
The supposed skin was covered in small patches of white fur all around, while the face was an amalgamation of a human face and a Zoroark's muzzle.
At least the hair was blue, and the marking on his chest was there.
"Well, can't expect it to work on the first try!" He sighed, uncasting his illusion.
"Maybe try giving him another look? Then try again while I teach you some human. We've got little time"
"Alright!"
For the next hour or so, Zoroark kept trying to perfect his disguise, all the while Eevee tried teaching him some basic human words.
By the end of that time, Zoroark could only say the word 'Hello' in broken human language, but he had managed to find a way to make his illusions almost perfect.
The only problem he had was that the blue hair was now partially white.
"Good progress for today, I think" He finally said.
"You do realize that if you want to join them, you'll have to become a unique human, right? You can't just copy anyone" Eevee reminded.
"Yeah...that's gonna be the hard part"
"I think you should begin with the hunt. You can't go back with nothing" Sneasel added.
"Pfft, don't worry about it! I'm sure it'll be so easy to find a Lickitung
Long story short, it had not been easy to find a Lickitung. In fact, it had been so hard that Zoroark had only managed to bring back home a pair of Aipom and an Ambipom.
Obviously, his father was not happy. "I didn't find any Lickitung" Thankfully, he didn't seem too angry, more like disappointed.
"I'm not going to say that it's fine, but you at least got something, so I'll let you off the hook this time. But I want a Lickitung next time, or I'm afraid you are going to have to eat the leftovers tomorrow"
Zoroark shivered, but he nodded. "I understand"
"Good. Now eat something and go to sleep. We are repeating the same exercise tomorrow morning"
Zoroark nodded again, and proceeded to eat the two Aipom he had hunted. Fresh meat's always good. He thought.
Back in his small cave, his sister was impatiently waiting for him.
"So how did it go?" She asked, the moment she saw him.
Zoroark looked around and confirmed there was no one. "Does this answer your question?" He said, transforming into the same disguise he had used before.
Her sister seemed amazed. "Woah! All of this in just an hour? You almost look like a real human!" She then looked away. "I can't believe you are actually doing this..."
"I know it's a crazy idea, but I think I can do it. After all, will they really find out?"
"I sure hope not. And I mean both the humans and dad. You will never get out of this cave if he does"
"That's why he won't find out" He added, laying next to her sister.
"Goodnight, bro"
"Goodnight, sis"
The next day started the same as always. The only difference was that the moment Zoroark finished breakfast, his father was already pulling him out of the cave.
Before long, another pair of Lickitung and an extra Aipom were dead on the snow.
"Did you understand how to do it?"
"Yes, dad"
"Good. Now go hunt another Lickitung while I take these three back" Alpha stated, walking away.
Once again, Zoroark signaled to his friends to get out of their hiding spots, which today included his sister, as she was supposed to be looking for any humans coming too close to the cave.
"You better pray that a human doesn't decide to come too close to the cave today, or you'll have big a problem" He commented, looking at her.
"No one comes ever since dad threw those two out of the cave"
"Yeah, that was epic"
The group walked back to the same spot where they practiced last time. Once again, Gaeric was doing his exercises.
"Does this guy have no sense of temperature?" The new member of the group asked.
"That's exactly what I thought" Her brother added.
"Come on, bro! You need to perfect your disguise before trying to become a unique human!"
Nodding, Zoroark got to work, and in under a quarter of yesterday's time, a perfect copy of the Warden was standing next to the other Pokémon.
"That's...perfect!" Eevee exclaimed.
"Really?"
"Yeah! I don't want to say it, but you could very well pretend to be that human and not get caught!"
"We've got a lot of time left yet! What do you want to do?" His sister asked.
"I wanna start with my own human!"
"That's gonna be hard...Are you sure you shouldn't try to copy another human first?"
"What human? There is no one that we know of that is always in the same place every day!" Sneasel yelled.
"But how is he going to transform into his own human! He's seen four of them in total at most!"
"Maybe I should begin with the basic human words instead? I still need to get my grasp on saying hello like that"
"Yeah, sure. And the good news is that you don't need to actually look at a human to try that, so you won't need to rely on dad leaving us alone!" His sister told him, ecstatic.
"That's good too! Alright, so we can only stay at this for another half an hour before I have to look for something to hunt, so let's get right to it!"
"Alright, so repeat with me" Said Eevee, clearing her throat. "Hello " She added, speaking really slowly.
"Woah, so you actually know how to speak human?" Zoroark's sister yelled, amazed by the small Pokémon's ability.
"Just a few words. He'll have to learn the rest of them on his own, though"
"Let me try!" Zoroark cleared his throat. "Hello"
"You didn't say it in human"
"Hello?"
"Almost got it!"
"Hello! Hello, hello, hello!" He repeated.
"Hey, you got it!"
"Hello! Hel-" He had to stop as he suddenly began to cough. "Aghh, that's too much human for my throat!"
"You did it, bro! You spoke human!"
"Yeah, I did!"
"Keep it up and you'll get out of here in no time!" Sneasel added.
"Alright, so now that you know your first word, the rest should come more easily. Now, we'll go with the word 'Goodbye'"
By time they had to stop, Zoroark had managed to learn how to say 'hello', 'goodbye', and 'my name is', which was incomplete, as he had yet to think of a human name.
"This is getting trickier than I thought..."
"Well, you can't just go around and say 'Hey, what's up, my name is Zoroark', you know?" His sister laughed.
"Now the even trickier part: Finding dinner"
"Yeah. That's what you get for not doing your task, and instead try learning how to be a human" Sneasel sarcastically said.
"I don't even know where to start!"
"Well, it's not like dinner is going to come walking to you!"
"Umm, excuse me"
Everyone turned their heads around, and saw a pair of small Lickitung, presumably pups, with a worried expression.
"We were walking around when we got separated from our parents, and we can't find them anywhere! Do you know where they could be?" One of them asked.
"Please!" The other one added, almost whimpering.
This was supposed to be a sad moment, but instead, Zoroark found himself fighting the urge to grin. Instead, he looked at Eevee. "You were saying...?"
The brown furred quadruped looked at his friend and then at the two Lickitung, knowing very well what was about to happen.
"I'll look the other way"
"Well done, pup!"
The two siblings had returned to their den with the two dead Lickitung, but Zoroark's sister opted to stay outside, as she wasn't supposed to be with him in the first place, and his friends had to go to their own dens to eat lunch.
"I see you managed to get two more Lickitung! That's great, but remember that you will have to hunt even more for your whole pack in the future"
Whatever you say, dad.
"Now eat your lunch, you earned it"
After eating some freshly caught Lickitung, Zoroark exited the cave for a bit of free time before he had to get lectured by his dad again.
Time that was going to be spent in trying to create a human.
"Hey, sis! How was the watch?"
"Horrible and boring. There wasn't anyone coming, not even a Pokémon! Your day has been far more interesting, for sure"
"Need ideas for a human. I still have no clue on how to fix that"
"So coming to your older sister for advice?"
"Yeah"
"Well, you should try not to attract a lot of attention, which means that no blue hair on your head"
"Awww, but I like it!"
"But it attracts attention. Most humans I've seen had black or brown hair, sometimes even yellow. Your choice"
"I'll go with black! A perfect contrast to the white of my fur"
"Great! Now, the eye color of humans vary by a lot. I've seen humans with green, blue, brown and even black and some sort of gray! Your choice again"
"Hmmm, so many to choose from..."
After a few minutes of thinking, Zoroark finally made up his mind.
"Gray sounds cool"
"Perfect! I can't help you anymore though. And you obviously can't go around with the same clothes as the already enlisted humans! And of course, a name"
"I have to make a whole set of clothes from scratch?!"
"Achieving your dreams is never easy" His sister shrugged.
"Thanks anyway"
"You're welcome. Good luck with your lectures!"
"I'm gonna need it!"
Turns out that today's afternoon's lesson was just a bit of combat training. Zoroark wished he didn't have to fight someone who was almost three times his size, though.
"Come on, pup! You have to land a hit on me if you want to win!"
"This is not training, this is a beatdown!" He whinned, standing up.
"Wooohoooo! You can do it!"
"Show him what's good!"
"He ain't gonna beat Alpha on his first try!"
"No way he does"
"We've got to put some trust on him!"
The fact that there was an upcoming battle between Alpha and Zoroark had spread like wildfire, and every member of the pack was watching the fight.
Which didn't include his sister, as she was forced to yet keep watch, and couldn't come to cheer on his little bro.
Zoroark had never heard so many swear words in the same sentence before.
Back to the present, Zoroark was struggling to even get close to Alpha. The fact that he didn't know any move other than ghost and normal type moves wasn't helping either.
In fact, it was what was keeping him from actually hurting Alpha.
"Shadow Claw is not going to do anything! Don't you know any dark type moves?"
The problem was that Zoroark had never bothered to learn Snarl, which was the only dark type move he could learn, since it never came to his mind that he would be fighting his own father, thus not needing any dark moves.
He was now realizing his mistake, as Alpha did know Snarl, and he was not missing any attacks. He tried to stand up, but was interrupted by a sudden jolt of pain in his ankle.
"That's enough. I said this was training, and I do not intend in breaking that. You haven't used any single dark type move, which is the only thing that you should work on, since your strategy is really good"
Loud disappointment erupted in the cave and Zoroark stood up, limping to his room. He ignored every comment made about him. In his small cave, he sighed.
Then punched the icy wall, making cracks in it, something he instantly regretted, as his ankle began hurting even more.
Defeated, the fox sat down, a mixture of sadness and anger in his heart.
"He doesn't care about what I want, does he?" He said, transforming into Gaeric. "Let's see his reaction once his own pup disappears in his face" He added, closing his eyes.
Black hair, grey eyes and a completely new set of clothes.
The fake Gaeric got enveloped in a ghostly aura, and the changes began to take place. First of all, his height decreased, becoming almost the same as Zoroark's. Then, the blue hair became a less unkept black one, and his eyes changed from blue to a more slate grey ones. His shirtless chest was covered by a plain white shirt, and his legs in dark blue shorts.
The aura faded.
"I'm not a pup anymore" He said, standing up. "I'm going to explore the world by joining the humans! And no one will stop me!" He added, yelling.
"For as long as I'm under this illusion, I'm not Zoroark!" He yelled, looking at his new body.
"Hello! My name's Rei" He said, in human language.
Zoroark's sister had finally managed to convince her father to let her back inside. It had been an arduous battle, but she had come out victorious.
She had heard the news about the fight between her father and her brother, and also that he had lost, not without a broken ankle, so she was now headed to their small cave to check on her brother.
Imagine her surprise when she saw a human standing in the middle of the room.
"Oh, hey sis. They finally let you in?" He said casually, as if nothing was going on.
"Wha-? Little bro, is that you?"
"Yep! Guess what I managed to do!"
"You...got it?"
"Yeah! This is my disguise! And I thought of a name too! Rei, what do you think?"
"That's...woah"
"Exactly! Well, goodbye"
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah, I'm leaving. I can't stand another one of those lectures! I already got my ankle broken, and I don't need any more broken parts of my body to make me realize it's the perfect time to leave"
"Bro, it's too soon! You can't just...go! I-I..."
"Hey, relax! I know it hurts to see me leave, but it's something that has to happen. Just to let you know, I'll miss you" He said, hugging her.
"You know you still have your disguise on, right?" She said, returning the hug.
"Oops!" Zoroark exclaimed, uncasting the illusion.
Once they broke their hug, Zoroark's sister began making a plan. "You can't just go while it's still daytime. And you have to wait until nighttime, so I can tell your friends for them to properly say goodbye!"
"Right, let me just-" He began, taking a step, before recoiling in pain.
"No you ain't. You are staying here until nighttime. I'll tell your friends, and you relax, so that you can leave in the best condition possible"
"Fine..." He laughed. "You and your impulse to be cautious" He added, rolling his eyes.
"I don't want you to die before arriving at your destination!" That earned a confused glance from her brother. "You...know where to go...right?"
"Yeah?"
"Oh, Arceus. My little brother doesn't know how to think about the future..."
"I'll be fine! Just gotta find a human, and they'll take me somewhere! I'm sure"
"If you say so..." She sighed, walking away.
"Hey sis!"
"Hm?"
"I love you"
"Love you too, little bro"
While the female fox was walking out of the cave, she couldn't help but think about what was about to come. I can't believe he's going so soon...and to join the humans, no less...Will he be okay? I'm sure of it. He isn't dumb or anything.
I'm gonna miss you, little bro.
"Coast's clear. Come on!" Zoroark's sister told him.
Nighttime had already arrived, and everyone in the pack was sleeping, except for the two siblings, which were on their way outside.
Once they got out of the cave, Zoroark got tackled by Eevee, who was almost crying. "You can't just be leaving us! I-I-What will I do without you!"
"Calm down! I'm not going to die! I'll come back to visit whenever I can, okay?"
"I'm not buying that!"
"What do you mean?"
"She means she's going with you, dude" Sneasel explained.
"What?!"
"Yeah. When I went to tell them that you were leaving, Eevee immediately said that she wasn't going to let you go alone"
"What?! You can't come with me! It's already dangerous enough, and I don't want to put you in danger! And what about your parents?"
"I already told them" She said, breaking the hug, and climbing to Zoroark's head. "I'm also not taking a no for an answer!"
He just sighed. "Whatever"
"Dude, you are crazy. But that's not bad. Hope everything goes smoothly" Sneasel say. "Oh, and say hi to my aunt if you happen to come across her" He added.
"Sure"
Then, his sister hugged him again. "I'm gonna miss you so much!"
"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! My ankle is already a lot better thanks to the Oran you gave me!"
"It's gonna be so lonely without you in our room..."
"I promise I'll come back, okay?"
"Okay"
After he broke the hug, Zoroark, applied his illusion again, and Rei appeared in front of everyone.
"I don't feel any change!" Eevee said, from Rei's head.
"Duh! An illusion only changes appearence, not my form! So rest assured, you won't freeze to death"
"Good luck you two" Sneasel said, waving.
"Goodbye little bro! Don't be reckless!" His sister added, waving too.
"Shall we go?"
"Let's go!"
Rei waved back at his sister and friend and walked through the frozen wasteland that were the Alabaster Icelands.
"We've been at this for hours! Where are the humans?" Eevee exclaimed.
"Dunno"
The duo had walked for two hours at least, and there were no signs of humans, except for the empty camps.
"Is it that hard to come across one?" She yelled.
"Apparently so"
They had begun to feel bored. There was nothing to talk about, and of course, nothing to see around these parts.
Suddenly, they were startled by something.
What are you trespassers doing here?! A voice "yelled".
"Woah, what?!" Rei exclaimed.
"Was that telepathy?" Eevee asked.
Indeed young Eevee, but you still haven't answered my question!
"We were just passing by! We didn't intend to come to...whatever you say we trespassed!"
Suddenly, a Kadabra teleported behind the two of them. You... aren't a human, are you?
"Nope! I'm a-"
You are that Alpha Zoroark's descendant!
"Umm, yeah?"
She took a battle stance. You dare to come here to steal more from us?!
"What? We literally just told you we were passing by!" Eevee yelled.
Your father has stolen our food, and I haven't forgotten about it! You will pay! She said, levitating both of the Pokémon towards her.
Prepare to be Teleported!
"Teleported?!"
"Oh no!"
Say goodbye to your little pack, runt!
Before anyone could add anything else, Rei felt how everything surrounding him disappeared. Even the ground.
He was falling.
Everything went black the moment he hit the sand.
...
...
"Are you sure this guys is even alive?"
"Of course he is! Can't you see he's breathing?"
"But what about the Eevee? Is she breathing too?"
"Of course she is! Are your forever-closed eyes failing, or what?"
"Don't you dare talk about my eyes, Mr. 'I use a shell as a weapon'!"
"Guys, don't fight! Laventon is coming already"
...
...
"Wake up!"
...
...
...
"Oh...do wake up, won't you?"
...
Wha-...
Rei slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but he was able to distinguish three different figures.
"Oh, he's waking up!" Said the left-most one.
"Told ya, you worrywats!" The middle one said.
They were a Cyndaquil, a Rowlet, and a Oshawott.
"Are you alright, my boy?" Asked another voice from behind them.
Rei slowly looked up to see...a human wearing a white coat and a purple and white hat. He had a worried expression as he looked at him.
Unable to answer that, Rei just stood up and shook his head to remove the sand. Then he nodded and looked around to see Eevee unconscious next to him.
"You gave me quite a shock, falling from the sky like that... Thankfully, you seem unharmed"
"Yeah, but that Eevee doesn't" Commented Oshawott, rolling his eyes.
Rei didn't have enough time to be bothered by his partner's state, as he looked around frantically to try and see where he was.
Where did that Kadabra teleport us?
Luckily, the human seemed to understand what he meant by this. "Not the talking type, are you? You are in Prelude Beach, just a few minutes away from Jublife Village"
Once that was sorted, Rei kneeled next to Eevee, examining how she was. She hadn't yet moved an inch.
"Don't worry about your Eevee. I know how to patch it up. Now, I believe there are a few matters we should discuss. I mean...you fell out of the sky. Who in the world does that?"
Rei picked Eevee in his arms and stood back up. Who's this guy?
The human looked at Rei for some time. "Your clothing is a bit unusual. You wouldn't happen to have an acquaintance around these parts, would you?" He finally said.
What even does 'acquaintance' mean? That's some nerdy terminology only Eevee uses. Taking a guess at its meaning, Rei shook his head.
"So this guy doesn't even have anyone here?" Cyndaquil commented.
"He fell out of the sky, dumbass! Of course he doesn't!" Oshawott answered him.
"Guys, shut up!" Rowlet yelled.
Obviously unable to comprehend what they were saying, the human ignored the three of them. "I see...you seem to be in a bit of a pickle...Might I offer you some directions? Any place where you could stay?"
Rei shook his head again. "So you don't know anyone, and you have no place to spend the night..." The human hummed. "That's indeed quite a pickle. Are you quite sure you'll know how to survive?"
Is he seriously asking that?! Doesn't he know what I- Oh yeah, I forgot. Is it normal for humans to be able to survive a night in the middle of nowhere? Or would it be better to tell him I don't know how to defend myself? Aghhh! If only Eevee wasn't out cold...
Rei finally decided to shrug, trying to put the best sad expression he could. The human stood a few seconds deep in thought, even crossing his arms. He finally smiled and looked up to Rei. "I see. Well, no gentleman would abandon a person in such a need!"
"Wait, is he coming with us?!" Oshawott exclaimed.
"What do you mean? Do you want to let him here by himself with a knocked out Eevee? He won't make it!" Cyndaquil replied.
"And why should we care?"
Rowlet seemed to be holding her urge to scream.
This time, the human actually turned at the three Pokémon. "Oh my! I had completely forgotten! I had just caught up with these three runaway Pokémon when you tumbled out of the sky! It's as if they knew you would appear here!"
"Uhhh, no we didn't. We just didn't want to stay inside that village!" Cyndaquil said to no one in particular.
The human looked back at Rei. "Ah, but do you even know what a Pokémon is?"
If only he knew... Rei nodded.
"My, that's a relief! Even if you fell from the sky, we still have some common ground, eh?"
A pause. "Well, these three Pokémon belong to me, misterious creatures that they are!"
"Not to self: Watch your step if there is a Cyndaquil running in front of you" Oshawott huffed.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault you tripped on a twig!" The fire type yelled.
"Oh, yes! And what may your name be?" The human asked Rei.
Okay, time to see what I have learnt.
"My name is Rei"
Nailed it.
"Oho! So that's your name? It has quite a ring to it! I'm sure it must have some lovely meaning!"
"Cool name, human!" Rowlet told him.
"Thanks!" Rei answered out of impulse.
"What was that?" The human asked.
When he realized his mistake, Rei shook his head, smiling nervously, while Rowlet was left confused. "Did you just answer me?"
"Anyway, I must apologize! I haven't even introduced myself! My name is Laventon. I am something of a Pokémon Professor"
Pokémon...professor?
"This is to say that I am a scholar seeking to deepen our understanding in Pokémon!" Laventon added, seing Rei's confused expression.
"And quite a dumb one, to say the least!" Oshawott huffed again.
"Hey, he's not that bad!" Cyndaquil defended Laventon.
"Oh, why don't you go and hug him now? If you love him so much then-"
"FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS! STOP FIGHTING ALREADY!" Rowlet snapped.
"Stay out of this!" Oshawott told her.
"Leave Rowlet alone!"
"Or what?"
"Ugh, I can't stand you anymore!" Cyndaquil yelled.
"No, I can't stand you anymore!" Oshawott shot back.
"I can't stand either of you!" Rowlet added.
"Yes," Laventon began, oblivious to the brewing discussion. "Pokémon such as these three here, whi-"
Without any warning, the three of them ran away in opposite directions. "Oh, blast and bother! Why must you have to run away from me again?!" Laventon exclaimed.
Rei stood silent all the while. Those three should really go to therapy.
Laventon sighed and turned to Rei. "I'm terribly sorry, but do you think you could help me round them up? I beg you!"
He then ran after them. "Wait, you three! Waiiit!"
Rei chuckled and looked down at the still unconscious Eevee. "If only you could be watching this..."
Rei ran after Laventon, wondering if this was what it took to be able to achieve his dream.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?" Alpha roared.
"I don't know. When I went to sleep, he was with me, and now he isn't" Zoroark's sister told him, shrugging.
Alpha eyed her suspiciously. "I know you are hiding something. He wouldn't do anything without telling you"
"He's not a pup, dad. He can do whatever he wants without me needing to know"
"Then why aren't you even a bit worried?"
Sweat was practically dripping down her forehead. "Because I'm sure he is fine. He wouldn't do anything too reckless. He'll be back, I'm sure"
"He better, or you'll be in a big mess, missy" Alpha finished, walking away.
Little bro, you better be alright.
When Rei found the professor, he was looking down at a wooden ball on the ground. "Alas...yet another miss..." He sighed.
When he heard some footsteps coming from behind, he turned around. "Aha! I'm glad you've come to my rescue, my new friend from the sky! I tried catching those little runaways by tossing some Poké-Balls their way, but I'm not the best at this sort of thing, you see..."
"I'd love to give you a go at it, but perhaps I should tell you a bit about these three first?"
He pointed to the grumbling Rowlet. "Now, that's Rowlet. Rowlet can photosynthesize like a plant, and apparently battles using its sharp feathers"
She is also the most sensible of the three of them.
Laventon turned around, and pointed to Cyndaquil. His flames were blazing powerfully as he ranted about something.
"That one over there is Cyndaquil. The fire burning on Cyndaquil's back will flare up whenever it's surprised or irate"
He's probably also the most kind hearted of the three of them, judging by how he defended Rowlet before.
Finally, Laventon gestured towards the pond, where a certain Oshawott was swimming with a really angry look.
"The Pokémon swimming in the pond is Oshawott. Oshawott naps while in the water, and it can battle using the sharp, shell-like object on its belly!"
I don't like him. Too selfish.
"Oh my! I almost forgot to cover the most crucial point: how to catch Pokémon!"
The professor pulled one of those wooden round objects. "This here is a Poké-Ball. Throw these at the Pokémon to cath them"
Laventon then gave 5 of the objects to Rei. He picked them up with real care, as he didn't want to accidentally catch himself.
"Ah, but that won't do for an explanation, will it? I do apologize. Let me be more clear. Now-"
Rei raised his hand and motioned the professor to stop. Last thing I need is to know how these...things work. Ignorance is a bliss, or so they say.
"I see. You want to go straight to the point. The proper technique is to take aim at the Pokémon and throw the ball! It's that simple!"
"Now, I know that we just met, but I'm afraid I have no one else to turn to. I'd be awfully grateful if you could catch my three runaways while I work on healing up your Eevee!"
Right! I forgot about her. Rei nodded.
"Good. Now if you could hand it to me..." Rei reluctantly gave Eevee to the professor. "Jolly! Don't worry, your Eevee will be just like new when I'm done! Good luck with catching those three!"
Rei gulped. Did he really have to catch them? He should have thought that something like this would eventually happen, but it still felt...wrong. He decided there were better ways of bringing the Pokémon with him.
Words will have to do.
Firstly, Rei headed to the pond where Oshawott was swimming. He reasoned that it was best to deal with him first.
"Oshawott!" He called, making sure Laventon couldn't hear him.
...
No response. "Oshawott?"
...
"*Snore*"
...
"*Snore*"
Wait, is he sleeping?! Of course! The human just said that Oshawott nap while they are floating on ponds!
He knew he had to wake him up somehow, so he picked up a rock and threw it at him, hitting him straight on the head.
"Eh?! What the-?"
"Oshawott!"
The small water otter finally turned to look at Rei. "Hey, it's you! What do you want? Doesn't matter, just leave me alone, will you? Not like you can understand me, anyway" He said, swimming away from Rei.
"Come on, dude! I just wanna talk!"
The water type stopped and slowly turned back towards Rei. "Did you just...?"
"It's a long story! Please, can we just talk?"
After a long pause, Oshawott finally sighed. "Ughh, fine!" He yelled, swimming towards the fake human.
Once he got out of the lake, he shook the water and looked at Rei. "Alright, I'm here. What do you want? Better question, who are you and why can you understand me?"
"I'm not going to waste time explaining it. Look, Laventon wants you three to come back, and I know that won't happen while you are angry with Cyndaquil and Rowlet, so I need you to make amends"
"Psch! And why would I do that? I never asked to go with those three and the human in the first place!"
Rei sighed. "I didn't want to come to this, but you leave me no other choice" He took one of the Poké-Balls. "Laventon wants you me to catch you, and I'm already trying my best to make you come willingly. If you don't want to, however, I'll be forced to use one of these. Now, can you please just come with me?"
Oshawott took a battle stance. "Giratina's domain will freeze before I go into one of these things! I'll spray you down if I have to!"
Rei's hand glowed with a purple aura. "You do not want to fight me, buddy. Now, you either come with me walking, or in a ball, you decide"
Oshawott widened his eyes at that, looking at both Rei and his hand. "You...you are a...!"
He finally huffed. "Ugh, fine. I don't want a Shadow Claw used on me at this time of the day"
"Thank you" Rei sighed, dissipating the attack.
Once that was sorted, both of them walked towards Cyndaquil.
"Cyndaquil"
He turned to look at Rei. "Oh, hello Mr Human! And hello Osh-" He stopped when he realized he was there. "What are you doing here? And why are you with the human?"
"He can understand you, so no need to talk to me" Oshawott huffed, crossing his arms.
"He...can?"
"Yeah"
"That's so cool! And how do you do that? Did you learn our language? And how? Or did you already know it before you fell down the sky?"
"He's a Pokémon! Arceus' sake, you are as dumb as always"
"I didn't ask for you to come to me!"
"Shut up! I can see why Rowlet was so angry with you!" Rei snapped. "Yes, I'm a Pokémon, yes, I can understand you, and no, I'm not going to explain you how or why I look like a human! Laventon wants me to take you back, so he gave me five Poké-Balls to catch you. I'm trying my Arceus damnned best to bring you walking instead, but I need you to make amends with each other first, so that you don't jump at each other's throats! Can you do that?"
"Me? He's the one that has to apologize for always being so mean!"
"You've known me for less than a few hours"
"And you've been so mean ever since! I won't move from here until you apologize!"
"Then the not-human will use a Poké-Ball on you"
"I don't care! I prefer to be inside one of those things rather than walk with you!"
"Well, I tried" Oshawott said, turning around, and began walking away.
Rei picked him up. "You aren't going anywhere!"
"Ugh! Leave me be! Your fur's too warm for my body!"
"But I thought humans didn't have fur...?" Cyndaquil commented.
"Well, this guy definitely has! What even are you?"
"Shut up! Ugh, just please, someone say sorry already!"
A long silence came after that. Finally, Cyndaquil broke it. "Oshawott? I'm sorry if I upset you in any way, and I'll try not to do it again while we are together"
"See? Is it really that difficult?" Rei said, looking down at Oshawott.
"Fine, you win!" He then looked at the fire type. "Cyndaquil? I'm sorry if I've been mean, and I'll try to not snap at you like that again"
"Alright, there you go!"
"Can you let me down now?"
"Oh yeah, sorry"
Once Oshawott was on the ground, Cyndaquil looked at him and opened his arms. His flames weren't blazing as strongly as they did earlier. "Hug?"
Oshawott sighed. "Just this time"
Rei smiled seeing the two Pokémon finally being happy again. He could swear he saw Oshawott smile a bit.
Once they were done, both looked at the boy.
"Alright, let's go with that human. How did you say he was called?" Oshawott asked.
"Laventon. And we aren't going yet. You still have someone to apologize to" Rei added, pointing at Rowlet.
"Oh, right..."
"This is going to be hard..."
The trio walked to the remaining Pokémon, and waited until she turned to look at them. More exactly, at Rei.
"You answered me back then. Can you understand me?" She asked.
"He's a Pokémon"
"We still don't know which one exactly, but he is"
She looked down at the other two. "What do you want?"
"We came to apologize" Cyndaquil answered.
"Yeah. We're sorry if we made you get mad. We are the worse when we fight" Oshawott added.
That was everything Rowlet needed to know that they were serious. "Really?"
"Yeah"
"And you admit that you've been acting like a complete fool?"
"Well...yeah" Oshawott sighed.
"That's all I need to hear" She added, flying to Rei's shoulder. "Come on, Poké-human! Let's get back to the professor!"
On the way back, Rowlet whispered something to Rei's ear. His actual ear. "You are one of those Pokémon from the Icelands, aren't you? How were they called... Zoroark? "
"You are pretty smart " He answered.
"And what are you doing here? "
"A Kadabra teleported me and Eevee. Doesn't matter, though. I wanted to get out of the Icelands anyway "
"Really? The professor thinks you fell from something called 'space-time rift' "
"No idea what's that "
Speaking of the professor, he was on the spot where Rei had fallen, and he was bandaging Eevee in her head.
"Some more over here..." Laventon mumbled.
Rei was about to call him, but he remembered he couldn't speak his language, and that he almost gave away his secret already, so he opted to pat his shoulder.
"Hm?" He turned around. "Oh! My boy, you are already here?" He took a better look at the three Pokémon. "You brought them here? And without using the balls?" He exclaimed.
Rei shook his head and gave him the Poké-Balls back. "Thank you very much indeed! Oh, what a relief to have them all back!"
He proceeded to get back to patching Eevee. "You see, the three Pokémon you have there have only just arrived at the village to help with our research. They won't yet listen to anyone, so it's amazing how you have brought them all willingly! And as I mentioned, they bolted away from the village almost as if they knew you were going to come falling"
"But I must say, Rei! I was taken aback by you skill with Pokémon! How is it that you managed to talk those three into following you when you just arrived here?"
Laventon finished with the bandages and stood up, facing Rei. "One can't help but think there has to be a reason you appeared here and now..."
Rei shrugged and he looked at Eevee. "Your Eevee is fine. It'll wake up soon. Just be sure to hold it carefully" Laventon told him, smiling. "I see that you have a really strong bond with it already" He added while Rei picked her in his arms.
"Now, if you'll indulge me for a moment, there's something I'd like to share with you. You see, I have a dream: to compile this region's first complete record of its Pokémon! We in the field call such record a Pokédex. Yes, a proper Pokédex is a wonderful work of research containing detailed research of all the Pokémon to be found in a region! But, of course, in order to properly document Pokémon, one must catch them"
He then looked down, with a worried expression. "But there lies the rub, I'm afraid. Poké-Balls have just been invented, and not everyone has mastered the skill of using them"
Laventon looked at Rei, with a determines expression. "Enter you, a person with a clear talent to work with Pokémon! So, what do you say we help each other out, my boy? It's an adventure that will take you all around the region in order to find every Pokémon there is to be!"
All around...the region?!
Stars were practically appearing in Rei's eyes, and he nodded enthusiathically, to which Laventon smiled.
"Then, whoever and wherever you may be, I welcome you with open arms! We have a Pokédex to complete!"
Heck yeah! I still don't know what a Pokédex is, but I'm sure I'll figure it out later.
"First things first, let's go get these Pokémon back to the village. Then we'll sort your lodging and find some proper clothes and a meal and all that"
The professor turned around. "Follow me, then! Onwards to Jublife Village!"
Rei was practically running behind Laventon, eager to get to that village as soon as possible. That's when he noticed something.
A giant sort of...crack was present on top of the peak of the tallest mountain in the region. It was swirling, and definitely didn't look natural.
What even is that? And how have I never seen that from the Icelands?! Should I worry? I really can't do anything about it anyway...
Rei decided it was better to move on and forget about it for now.
Before long, the sun was already setting, and Rei and professor Laventon had arrived in front of a weird wooden structure in the form of a door, and to the sides, there were a pair of burning torches. Two humans like the ones that entered the cave back then stood in front of those torches.
"Thank you for tireless work keeping us safe, my good guardsmen!" Laventon exclaimed. He followed by pointing at Rei. "This young man was of great assistance to me and my Pokémon, so I hope you'll forgive my bringing him and his Eevee into the village for a bit!"
The guard eyed Rei from top to bottom, all the while, Zoroark was struggling to keep the illusion up.
What if they get me? Will they kill me? Or will I be able to escape? I don't even know where the pack is anymore!
Finally, the guard nodded, and Rei sighed with relief. Him and the professor walked right through the door, both of the guards not taking their eyes from Rei.
The inside of the village was something Rei had never seen. Lots of wooden structures were all around the place, surrounded by a wooden wall. An even bigger building could be seen from where he stood. Everything, of course, was full of humans too.
Woah! Are all of those structures houses?! And a field to grow crops too...This is amazing! I'm so glad I got out of that cave!
Laventon walked in front of Rei. "This way, if you please!"
Rei began walking behind the professor, all the time admiring the beautifulness of the human settlement.
"Jublife Village! It's come a long way thanks to the fine people of the Galaxy Expedition Team! This road we are on now is known to the locals as Canala Avenue. This village was built scarcely two years ago. There's still so much to do, and not many to do it. And since we know so little of the local Pokémon, people hesitate to set foot outside the village"
The professor kept talking about something, but Rei had stopped listening to him. He was more interested in listening to the humans around him whispering.
"A new recruit of the Survey Cops, maybe? "
"What manner of dress is that? "
"Does the professor know that child? "
"Who's that with the professor? Should we go talk to him? "
"We are not s'posed to talk to strangers, you know? "
Rei was so nervous that he had began to shiver slightly. He knew what humans were capable of, and he didn't want to experience it.
Oh, Arceus. What the hell will I do if I get caught? I'll die!
Rowlet had realized his state and spoke to him. "Hey, Poké-human. Are you okay? Just calm down. Everyone is like that when they see a new face around"
"But I'm sure no Pokémon had walked around here! " Rei whispered back.
Rowlet was about to answer, but she was interrupted by the professor stopping in front of a bridge, just in front of the gigantic building.
"Oh, botheration! I'd almost forgotten! I need to go and report that we succesfully got the three Pokémon back! Might I ask you to wait for me at the canteen? It's just past this bridge, then to the left. The Wallflower it's called. Now, if the three Pokémon could come with me...?"
Rowlet flew from Rei's shoulder to Laventon's and the two landborne Pokémon walked behind him.
"Thank you" The professor then ran to the big building, leaving Rei behind.
So I gotta wait at that...canteen? What even is that. I hope it has something to do with food. I'm so hungry...
Rei slowly walked to the small wooden hut, all the while feeling the looks of the humans that were around. Zoroark was wondering how he was still keeping the illusion up.
On the entrance, there was another human, this time, looking like he was much older than the professor. He looked at him the moment he arrived.
"Well now, aren't you awfully suspicious?" Rei tensed up. "The Wallflower's for Galaxy Team members only! We have no room for outsiders! Move along!" He yelled, going inside the building.
For some reason, Rei was glad he didn't have to be around that old man.
"Who are you? I've never seen anyone dressed as you are..." A voice asked him from behind.
Rei turned around and saw a girl with a strange white handkerchief in her head, wearing...a blue outfit. The same outfit that Zoroark had seen so many times when humans were exploring the Icelands.
She walked closer to him. "What if you were attacked by Pokémon! You'd be minced meat in those flimcy clothes!"
She then shook her head slightly. "If the guard let you through, then you must have connections with someone in the village...Perhaps you have met professor Laventon? He's a scholar from a faraway place. His Pokémon do get away from him at times. It makes me a bit worried about him"
"I suppose I'm hardly the one to talk. I've had problems with Pokémon myself. I was hit by a move called Thunder Shock not too long ago and had to take to my bed. But the professor...I wonder how long he'll last- Hey, are you laughing at me?"
Rei had giggled a bit when he has heard that the human had to rest for a while when she got hit by a Thunder Shock.
Humans really are weak. No wonder that are scared of Pokémon so much.
Rei shook his head. Luckily, another voice interrupted the duo. "Unfortunately, it's just as Akari says. I'm just a clumsy little fellow, to put it lightly"
'Akari' turned around and was met face to face with Laventon. "Professor!" She exclaimed.
"But everything will be quite alright now!" The professor walked a bit closer to Rei. "After all, Rei here has agreed to help us with our Pokédex!"
Akari looked at Rei with a confused look, and then back at Laventon, as if she didn't really believe her ears. "Excuse me? You plan to appoint him to the Survey Corps? You can't just slap a badge on whoever you like without Captain Cyllene's permission!"
"I'll allow it"
The trio looked at the source of the voice, but only one of them said something. "Captain Cyllene?!" Akari exclaimed.
Another human walked towards the group from the big building. She had blue hair, although a bit darker than Gaeric's hair, and wore the same blue outfit that Akari did. Her expression was serious, and Rei knew she had to be someone important.
"Assuming that the individual can contribute to the Survey Corps, that is" She stopped walking when she reached the three. "I am the captain of the Galaxy Team's Survey Corps. You may call me Cyllene" She stated.
"Professor Laventon has told me how you helped secure his Pokémon without the use of any Poké-Ball when they slipped his control. And now it seems he would like us to feed and house you in exchange of your ongoing labour" She took a better look at the stunned Rei. "Hmm. You look to be 15 or so. Quite old enough to work for your keep"
Fifteen?! That's what I look like? I wanted to look a lot older, dammit. I guess two days of practice isn't enough to master all of the details.
"But we can't simply take on an stranger and his Eevee who wander in among us, without any idea of their skills or origins. That's why, tomorrow we shall see if you can prove yourself worthy"
Worthy?
"Oho! A most reasonable decission, Captain! Now, would you care to join us for a meal? I'm sure you've got plenty of questions for our visitor!"
"That's quite alright. I prefer to eat alone so I might appreciate my meal without distractions" Answered the captain, walking inside the small hut.
Thank Arceus...
"Aloof as always, I see" Commented the professor. "Well, no matter! The rest of us can share a meal and some pleasant conversation, then, eh?"
"Beni, old chum! The usual potato mochi, if you please! But make it for three today!" He yelled.
Once the food was on the plate, the moment Rei feared the most began.
The moment to answer questions.
He left Eevee resting on his lap and looked up at the two humans.
"Professor, where exactly did you meet our...visitor here" Akari asked.
"Ah, well, you know that great hole in the sky? The one people call space-time rift? I believe our friend fell right out of it!"
Akari frowned. "You can't be serious"
"Come now, I'm a scientist! My job is to observe any and all phenomena. I concern myself only with facts!"
"Now, you already know there are a lot of Pokémon here, in the Hisui region..."
"Indeed! In the grass, in forests, by water, or wherever they like! Our job as the Survey Corps is to research them and find out what kind of creatures they are!"
"Well, we know this much... Pokémon are terrifying creatures! It's all but impossible to know what kind of powers they might posses or what sorts of wondrous things they can do!"
Zoroark smiled under his illusion. Oh, you are making me blush.
"But that's where Rei will come in! He succesfully managed to convince three Pokémon into coming with him without using any balls! Nobody in the Galaxy Team is capable of a feat such as that. This means we can finally begin our Pokémon research in earnest!"
"What?! We've had enough trouble when we tried to catch just one Pokémon!"
"Does the Survey Corps really have the leaway to be enjoying a leisurely meal with an ousider?" Asked Beni from behind Rei. "Your captain just ordered 10 whole portions of potato mochi, you know? The slow progress on that Pokédex of yours clearly has her on edge"
"I'm sure we'll start to rein in the good captain's stress eating soon enough. Now, have your feel, Rei! And think! If you make it to the Galaxy Team, you'll never have to worry about a meal ever again!"
Not that I was too worried. I'm sure they'll let me join. And if they don't... I'll have to go back to the Icelands.
Shit. I better not fail.
Rei picked some of the food and reluctantly bit it. To say the least, it was delicious. Something that looked so simple was definitely one of the best things he had ever tried!
"Mmm" He hummed.
"It's good, isn't it?" Akari asked him, laughing at his antics.
Night had fallen by the time they all finished eating. "Quite a good meal, if I may say!" The professor said.
"Yes, the food was lovely, but you know that Rei still has a trial to pass in order to join the Survey Corps, right?"
"Not to worry! I have complete confidance in Rei's skills!"
"Let's hope it's not misplaced" Added Cyllene, exiting the restaurant. "Rei, was it? For tonight at least, we will provide you with a place to sleep. You may use our quarters there" She told him, pointing to a few houses with a blue roof. "But if you fail tomorrow's trial, you'll have to move on. You will be expelled from the village to meet your fate, or even death, in the wild" Cyllene finished, walking away.
My fate is worse than death, miss Captain...
"Don't worry, Rei. Captain Cyllene is just like Hisui, in that they are both quite harsh" Akari reassured him.
"Now now, she simply put a stern front to help keep us all safe. At any rate, I think it's time to call it a day, eh? It's a good thing one can't fall out the futons we sleep in here. I imagine our new friend has had enough falling for today. And with that, I bid you both a good night" Laventon added, walking away too.
Rei waved goodbye to Akari and headed to the small house he was assigned, where he entered and immediately locked the door.
The inside had a few wooden drawers, some sort of bed to sleep, and a weird metal pot that Rei didn't know what to use for.
He walked to the bed and left Eevee there, proceeding to uncast his illusion, and sit on the ground, sighing.
"This has been a long day. I can't believe it's happening! I'm finally going to be part of those guys! I wish I could tell my sister about it..."
"Mrmm...Zoroark?"
Eevee had apparently opened her eyes slightly. "Hey sleepyhead"
"Where...are we?"
"Inside one of the human villages. Apparently that Kadabra teleported us directly near one, and I got scorted here by a professor. He says they'll let me join them as long as I pass some trial tomorrow. Can you believe it?"
"Sounds a little too convenient, don't you think? Then again, we are inside a human house, so I guess they mean it. What's the trial?"
"I don't know. I guess we'll find out tomorrow"
"I hope I don't have to fight... My head still hurts a lot"
"Just sleep. You'll feel better tomorrow for sure. Just remember, I cannot fight, or talk while I'm a human, so don't ask me things while we are with other humans"
"Got it. Goodnight then, Zoroark"
"Goodnight, Eevee"
Zoroark lied down on top of the bed next to Eevee and closed his eyes. "What happens if you fail the trial?" She asked.
"Then, I'll have to go back to the Icelands. And rest assured, whatever humans may do to me if they find out I'm a Pokémon will pale in front of what dad will do to me"
END OF CHAPTER 2
Hey everyone.
Another chapter for AHA is here. I'm sorry if you found it too boring or rushed, but I just don't have any more ideas for before our hero leaves the pack.
Today, I'm going to make a small question. I really don't care, so I'll let you choose: Among the Eeveelutions available in LA, which one should Eevee evolve into? You decide!
As always, if you have any ideas, comments or found any grammar mistakes, be sure to let me know!
Goodbye everyone!