Note from The Relic.
Hey so if you're reading this, apologies that it gets abruptly cut off at chapter 7. That was the point I decided to restart and improve upon the idea I had. If you want to read an improved version of marine biologist/water specialist shenanigans, check out the new thing I'm writing, Forged Bonds of Water. I'm leaving this here for posterity.
"I mean really, how many coconuts would have to reliably fall into the ocean in such a way as to open and allow for natural selection to select octopi that use them for protection?"
Nick lets out a long, drawn-out sigh as he looks to his coworker who is currently kneeling in front of a large saltwater tank, holding a clipboard, and staring into the eyes of Amophioctopus marginatus, the coconut octopus. "Let me guess," Nick replied, "you did the math, and are about to tell me exactly how many coconuts had to fall into the ocean for this." The soft burbling of a protein skimmer keeping the room from being entirely quiet.
His coworker returned the look, his sparkling blue eyes filled with mischief and barely obscured by lengthy black hair, and gave a grin. "At least two." He replied, eliciting a groan from the unfortunate soul who had to hear his 'jokes'. "No but really, I'm telling you this is learned behaviour. We just need to give Monty time to observe, and he'll pick it up too. Or hell, if we're lucky, the octonut will teach Monty. God, that'd give us grants for the rest of our lives." Nicks associate stood up and reviewed a clipboard sporting numerous sheets, his keycard and nametag hanging from a lanyard around his neck, the latter to which read 'Carl Laframboise'.
"I know you're optimistic, but let's just keep trying to get them not to kill each other first." Nick takes a seat on a lab stool facing the tank, running his hands through his short blond hair. One would have hoped that given a large enough space and ample food, the octopi would not contend with one another for territory. One's hope would be misplaced.
"Though at this point, I'm getting real close to giving up and going to work at Monterey Bay or something. Who knows, maybe working with less intelligent cephalopods would give me the R&R I need. Not having to deal with an octopus who has a death wish."
Carl rolled his eyes, continuing to read over the sheets before him and filling them out. "You know as well as I that it was an accident. Monty would never destroy his tank in an attempt to escape confinement. The tank just experienced a completely random catastrophic failure that resulted way more paperwork than I'm comfortable filling out again."
"Uh huh. Well in any case, I'm going home. Sheets' filled out on the laptop, submit them if you're happy with them. Who knows. Worst case, we could claim Monty developed well enough knowledge of tool use and his surroundings to break a 15,000 dollar tank and flood the floor." Nick motioned towards a laptop on the other side of the room, the display dark but the contents still fresh in his mind.
Dear Nicholas,
A final review of your application has now been completed.
We regret to inform you that we are unable to admit you to the Masters of Science – Oceans and Fisheries Subject program for the Fall 2023 semester for the following reasons:
We are unable to offer you admission to the Oceans and Fisheries program at this time. We receive a large number of applications for a limited number of positions. If we are able to extend additional offers, we will contact you.
We thank you for your interest in the University of British Columbia and wish you every success in your future academic and career endeavours.
Like the stickiness of spilled soda, the words just can't be easily forgotten.
Regret. Unable. Success.
Ironic, wishing success after a failure.
"With any luck," Nick continues, "we can get him re-introduced this week. The masses are dying to see the 'killer octopus' and who am I to deny them?" As he finishes his sentence, he stands up, grabs a backpack, and makes for the door. "Don't stay too late tonight, Carl. You're still not paid overtime." He finishes his sentence as he leaves, unable to hear Carl's response.
Pushing the next door open, and several more following it, he's greeted to a setting sun and cool air. Air that is untainted by the salt and fishy smell he had grown so used to. 'Another day over. Until the next, at least.' He thinks, letting out a sigh before making his way to his car and beginning the journey home.
A simple journey. Uneventful with minimal traffic.
Arriving home, parking in the nearly full lot, he heads inside and climbs the numerous stairs to his floor, elevator being out of order. Again. He hesitates before entering his apartment, his mind elsewhere as his gaze is fixed on the lock.
Eventually however, the door is unlocked and creaks open and he reluctantly enters, making straight for his bedroom and keeping his head low as he does so.
The rest of the evening is spent playing Pokémon Soul Silver on an old Nintendo DS Light in bed, the faint smell of smoke lingering in the air. Nary a thought is had as he runs back and forth in front of Mt. Silver, chipping away for the 8th consecutive night on his progress towards a shiny Ponyta. After several hours of attempts with no progress, the clutches of rest grow stronger, and he sinks into his sheets for another sleepless night of rest.
…
'Nonononoo not like this, you can't leave me like this. Please no. Please-'
Nick awoke with a start, his sleep rudely interrupted once again by the same, recurring, haunting nightmare. The same one that has been plaguing him for almost six months at this point. Same as he had all the days prior, he lay in bed trying desperately to calm himself and his racing heart.
Pace his breathing.
Release his tension.
Relax.
Focus on the now. The air. The bed. The feeling of sheets.
Focus on the real.
Focus.
And as he had those same prior days, after what felt like hours, he did.
With a deep breath, he looked to the clock by his bed. '5:57. Is it worth it to try and get an extra three minutes of sleep?' He wondered to himself idly, lingering feelings of exhaustion from a night of lacklustre sleep tugging at him. 'It's really not. Guess I'll get an early start, today.'
Rolling out of bed with all the grace of a potato rolling off a table, he set himself to prepare for the day ahead. He spent most of his waning energy simply hyping himself up enough to do the most basic tasks. The chronic lack of sleep is beginning to have consequences.
"Nothing coffee can't fix." He mumbles to himself, his body feeling as if it weighed thrice what it does as he drags it forward.
Brush teeth, get clothes, make coffee, drink coffee, burn tongue, drink more coffee, stare at unopened boxes scattered throughout the apartment, look at phone as a distraction, doom scroll for twenty minutes while waiting for coffee to take the worst of the exhaustion away, head out, and set off to work.
Key's in the ignition, Pokémon cards hanging from the rear view for good luck, Vulpix keeping watch over the car with the help of Eevee and Scorbunny, and a gentle pat on the dashboard. "C'mon, Luna. Don't let me down now." The sleep deprived man said, almost whispering to no one as he sat alone in the car.
A twist of the key.
A couple turnovers.
Ignition.
A breath of relief.
The drive to work began.
Despite his caffeine ingestion and chipper demeanor, Nick still had difficulty remaining focused while driving. His eyes would lose what they were tracking, and in between blinks, it seemed like his surroundings would change. One second he would be trailing a black truck, the next a red camero. One moment a corn field, the next a forest and despite his best efforts at deducing what was going on, it was still occurring. He closed his eyes for a moment to blink, and was met with an unusual jolt, a punch in the face, and an uncomfortable tightening his chest.
'Who left their car alarm on?' He thinks to himself as he tried to open his eyes, failing in the process and sinking deeper into his pillow, chest tight as bedsheets wrapped around him. The distant honking sounding as if it came through a tunnel before being heard. 'Gosh I feel awful though, how much sleep did I even get? I do not want to go to work today feeling like this.' As his senses gradually awaken, countless aches begin to set in. 'Ugh. At least I didn't have the nightmare again. That's a first.' A faint smile made a brief appearance before fading almost as quickly as it appeared.
The honking grew louder as if the car was rapidly approaching until all at once everything clicked back into place. An overwhelming cacophony of sensations took hold. Between the sudden pain and the blaring horn, it was almost too much to bear in the moment. With great difficulty, he forced his heavy eyes open. 'Wait, I was already going to work, wasn't I? I didn't go to bed-' The rest of his thought interrupted as his eyes opened to reveal a deployed airbag. Groggily looking around, he took in his surroundings.
The car was in shambles, both literally and figuratively. Everything that wasn't nailed down was thrown about and each window barring the drivers had a spiderweb of cracks which, thankfully, the windshield did not shatter despite having part of the hood pierce it. How that happened he cared not to think about. The passenger to his right was startlingly grey, though his eyes could not focus enough to deduce their condition. His Scorbunny card continued their vigilant watch, taking in the rapid unscheduled disassembly of the vehicle it inhabits.
With some difficulty, Nick reached down to unbuckle the seatbelt which was unceremoniously digging into his chest. With a click, the tension keeping him up is released and he falls forward into the airbag. Muscle memory takes over as he unconsciously turns off the engine and retrieves his keys. Reaching for the door, he grasps the handle, pulls, and pushes the door open. Free of his metallic cage, he moves to stand up out of the car.
Rather than standing up however, his legs give out and he almost collapses in a heap on the grass outside barely catching himself before introducing the ground beneath him to his face. He remains there for what feels like an eternity, haggard breathing eclipsing the horn behind him.
'I almost died.' His thoughts are racing as he realizes the gravity of his situation. 'There was a fox and I swerved and I crashed and I almost died and the car's wrecked and-' His ramblings are cut off as he sees movement in his peripheral vision. A small red form almost seems to have appeared next to him. Turning to focus on it, it looks not unlike the creature he swerved just moments prior.
"Well hey there little buddy. Don't mind me, or the noise. Just…" He groans as he shifts his weight before falling to his back, sinking into the cool grass on a warm day. "… Going to lay down here for a little while, I think. You can go on, kiss your fox wife and fox kids. Fox kits. Kid kits. Heh." A slight chuckle was abruptly cut off at the sharp pain in his side. He winced hard, eyes slamming shut. What felt like an hour passed before the pain lightened enough to once again let loose his gaze upon the world. The red form remained in his peripheral, though closer now.
"Well aren't you friendly?" He reaches a hand to pet the vulpine. "Not every day I get to make new friends." His hand connects, and he gently scratches them behind the ear.
"Woah you have soft fur. It's really nice, what's your hair care routine?" He asks absentmindedly, wondering about what kind of care goes into maintaining the fur of a fox and whether or not they can afford to buy the good products. 'I mean, how would they even pay for things? They don't have thumbs.'
The creature let out a small yip. Eyes attempting to focus on it, the aching and bruised man takes some of its details. Brown eyes, white underbelly, red-y orange fur. 'Looks like a fox alright.' But despite all of its beauty, one thing stuck out to him. 'This fox looks almost… worried?'
"Why are you worried, little buddy?" He inquired, adjusting his reach in the process to scratch the back of the small form. Before successfully doing so, he winces in pain at having overextended his current capabilities. "Okay nope too much."
With a few cautious steps, the animal approaches and nuzzles Nick's cheek, giving it a small lick in the process.
"Awe, thanks. I have a spare tire in the back, that'll hopefully help get the ol' girl running again." The car alarm continues to blare an oppressive ring, though Nick barely even registers it anymore. "Just need to get the energy to get up, is all."
The fox pulls away, giving what Nick feels to be a tragic goodbye before turning to leave. Sprinting off into the depths of the forest, leaving naught but a whisp of red disappearing into green.
"Bye new friend… I'll miss you." He mutters, watching it leave before returning his gaze to the sky.
The clouds floated gracefully for a few seconds.
A minute.
'That one looks like a starfish.'
Ten.
Thirty.
'Is that Lucy? How'd she turn into a cloud?'
Fifty.
Fifty seven and a half.
For the first time in fifty-seven minutes and thirty seven seconds, something other than the honking of his car was heard, it sounded almost like a person.
'That cloud looks like a hotdog. Do they make hotdog clouds?'
"Sir?" The sound, identifiable this time, most certainly sounded like a person.
"Oh sweet Arceus what happened here? Sir, are you alright? Don't panic, we're here to help. We're going to take you back to town. You're going to be alright" A feminine voice spoke out over the sounds of the car as two individuals clouded his vision of the sky, obscuring the recently discovered hotdog cloud. One had dark-ish brown-ish hair and a silly white hat that resembled the hotdog cloud while the other had black-ish hair and a baseball cap. Neither of them as interesting as Sir Hotdog of the Hotdog Royal Family.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Nick replied. "Just watching some clouds with my new friend." He paused a moment. "Well, was. Did you see a little fox?"
"Yeah." The second spoke, a masculine voice eclipsing the car horn. "They led us here. Now, we need to get you back to town, can you walk?"
'What a silly thing to ask!' A smile crept across Nick's face. "Of course I can!" His voice trailed off as he made to stand up, his body failing almost every steps of the way. After a few seconds of struggling, the two newly arrived people helped him up. Pain radiates from his legs and below his arms where they're supporting him. "Okay, maybe not." He adds, acutely aware once again of the poor condition his body is in. "I swear I'm not always like this, it's just a one-time thing." His eyes adjust once more, no longer looking at a clear blue sky and white fluffy clouds. Instead, what he takes in crushes what little spirit he was carrying as the weight of it slams into him like a metric ton of bricks.
The car is totaled. The front end is completely destroyed with the engine block seemingly occupying the passenger seat. The drivers' side wheel is bent 90 degrees from where it should be, and the drivers' side window is simply gone.
He drinks in the sight before him, the magnitude of everything setting in, once again realizing that he almost died, his pains are a real and present problem, he will not be making it home tonight, a spare tire will not fix Luna, he pet a potentially rabid fox that, through his own actions caused all of this, and he is still well and truly alone in the world. There was no new friend.
He should not be alive right now is the instinctual feeling he has leading to a sinking feeling of dread growing in his abdomen. 'Maybe that wouldn't have been so bad.' His vision narrows as his legs buckle below him, his ears ringing as the sounds around him grow dim.
"Okay, we have to go now. I'll hold him, call Elm, have him prep a room. He can figure out if we need to bring him to Joy or not."
As the words echoed quietly through his mind, all Nick could focus on was that fox. 'That damned fox. It looked at me. It walked up to me and looked at me. It looked so sad and it left. It left me, like all-'
His last thoughts his only company as his vision narrowed around him, focusing on a small patch of red in the edge of the clearing. He vision failed him and he faded from consciousness, silently eager to let his pain fall away to nothingness.
…
"Please don't go. I can't lose you. I can't lose you too. Please."
Nick awoke with a jump, his heart racing at his repeated nightmare. It took everything in him not to scream in panic, though wincing in pain could not be avoided. He held is chest tight, a small comfort against the fading darkness of his sleeping realm.
'Man I hurt. Guess this all wasn't a bad dream… Or, at least most of it wasn't. Something about hot dogs? Ugh. Head. That doesn't bode well.' He takes a deep breath. As deep as he can at least without second guessing his life choices leading up to this point through pain.
It wasn't a very deep breath.
The room was dark, the only light being a small green digital clock reading 5:57. It was hard to discern features through clock light and though while his eyes may have given him nothing, his body told him more.
The bed below him was hard and had very little give to him. The pillow likewise. On the whole, he felt somewhat overheated as an abnormally hot weight was on his abdomen. Had he broken ribs? Ruptured something? Weighted blanked? Was he actually somehow dead?
With slow and methodical movements, he brought a hand towards the weight in question only to be met with the feeling of… fur?
'Wow. They gave me a fur blanket? What kind of people-' His thought cut off as the object moved and what appeared to be two dark eyes stared him down, dimly reflecting the green clock light.
'Was that…?' He asked, silently.
'Surely not.' He replied.
'But it moved!' A retort.
'They would not allow foxes in what is likely a hospital room.' A counter.
'Then what do you call that?!' He pleaded.
There was no response from himself against his final inquiry. As slowly as possible, he brought his hand to the form once again and instead of pulling away from the feeling of fur, giving it a gentle scratch. The eyes blinked once, lowered, and simply observed the wounded man. He could feel the creatures head lie on him.
"You know…" Nick began, unsure of his words. "You didn't have to stick around. Not that I'm entirely sure why you even did. But… Thank you. It's nice not waking up alone, for once."
The creature raised its head and gave a small yipping sound, almost as if it said "picks" before replacing it on him. He can't help but stare into the small, dimly lit orbs of reflected light.
It felt almost as if the little thing knew everything that plagued the man.
'What are you, little buddy?' He wondered idly. Despite his curiosity, it would have to wait as his exhaustion returned in full force. Resting his head against the pillow once again, he embraced the comfort as best as one could.
Drifting once again into the realm of dreams, he continued to pet the little critter.
…
It wasn't until several hours later did Nick awaken properly. Much to his surprise, it was a simple, dreamless sleep.
Much to his greater surprise, the fox was not only still on his abdomen, but was awake and staring at him.
Much to his greatest surprise, it wasn't a fox at all.
'That's a goddamn vulpix.' The words echoed in his head, almost unwilling to register and as if in response to his thought, the apparent Vulpix gave a "Vulpix" to him.
Register however they did. Much the same way a wrinkled barcode will eventually be read and registered by a tired and overworked minimum wage employee just working to make ends meet, for the unmistakable look of the small vulpine was very much so present before and on him. There's no denying it. This is the very same Pokémon that hung from his rear-view mirror for years. The orangey-brown fur, not unlike that of a fox or young coyote, the numerous tails where there would only have been one, deep brown eyes whose depth is unrivaled and who hide an unusual intelligence.
It wasn't just looking at him.
It was looking into him.
He knew.
He could feel it.
'This is… concerning.' He mulled briefly over the implications of this. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the Vulpix broke eye contact and turned its head with unrivaled speed towards the door, its ear twitching in the process. No more than a few moments later did it crack open.
Someone on the other side peaked through the newly formed crack.
The small vulpine watched them closely.
The individual held it there for a moment before a loud sigh of relief could be heard. "Oh thank goodness you're finally awake." A lab coat clad, glassing wearing, almost bald spot sporting man spoke as he pushed open the door and entered the room, leaving the door ajar in the process. "I'm Dr. Elm, I'm the professor of this region, and you, my good man, seem to have been in quite the incident. My assistants said they found you out in the forest with a wrecked car, which is truly inexplicable and I would be most interested to know what happened especially seeing as how it would be most improbable that-"
A loud, forced cough radiated from the doorway. Nick, Vulpix, and the Professor all turned to the door as a tall girl with long, brown locks of hair partially obscured by a white hat with a bow stood in the doorway staring daggers into the Professor.
"Ah, sorry." He added sheepishly. "I can get carried away sometimes with my trains of though. If you ever catch me doing it, don't hesitate to call me out on it. I'm just really passionate about this sort of thing and finding a car in the forest certainly carries with it some pretty significant implications especially seeing as how-" He is cut off again as a second forced cough emanates from the doorway.
"Right, right. How are you feeling Mr… Uh, I can't say I know your name. Nor could I find a Pokégear to call a relative or loved one on you. Which, sorry about that. Going through your pockets and all can be-"
A slight rumbling vibrated Nick as the Vulpix let out a low growl. The professor stopped himself, looking guilty.
'Huh. Did I leave my wallet in the car? I don't think I can feel it in my pocket.' He wonders, trying to feel without moving whether or not his leather card holder was indeed in his attempt comes up negative.
"Nick. My name's Nick. I… Don't know what happened. I'm sore, but fine, probably. Doesn't help feeling like a sack of potatoes that fell off a truck onto a road while going highway speeds, though." He moved around slightly, trying to pull himself into a sitting position. There was minimal resistance from his body, though it did complain of aches. He stopped about halfway up, not wishing to disturb the Pokémon on him.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Nick. You should not have any broken bones, not from what I saw on the x-ray at least." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Granted I'm more of a Pokémon health kind of guy than human, but a bone is a bone for the most part. Bruised ribs though. Probably but nothing that won't heal with patches and time."
He took a moment to produce a clipboard and pen, writing a few things down in the process.
"Now, you were no doubt in an…" He pauses a moment, thinking on his words. "Incident¸ to say the least. Are you aware of where you are?"
'Aaaaaand this is where everything goes wrong.' He thought, unsure of how to answer this in any way that would not be interpreted as crazy. 'Guess I'll just have to play dumb since I doubt he'd be fooled by hiding under these sheets.'
"I… can't say I do, I'm sorry." Nick finally responded, spending much too much time thinking on how to approach the line of questioning.
Elm smiled. "Nono, that's quite alright. We'll go more broad strokes. Are you aware of the current champion of the Pokémon League?" He asks, taking notes on the clipboard before him and sparing but a moment to look at the wounded man before him.
'Alright, well the only two I know are Lance and Cynthia…" Nick recalls what little he remembers from his time playing Pokémon as a child. '..and I know that Cynthia is in Sinnoh. I think Lance is in Kanto? Man why are these the questions I'm asked- wait.' He squints his eyes shut, rubbing his forehead and taking a second to recall the conversation up until now. 'He said his name was Elm, okay. Oak is Kanto, Birch is Hoenn, the guy with an R was Sinnoh, and everything newer gets weird with more unique trees. So this is probably Johto since Elm is still normal in comparison.' Nick takes a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before slowly exhaling.
"L-Lance…?" He finally responds with all the confidence of a blade of grass on a particularly blustery day.
Elm squints, scrutinizing his patient. First for seconds, which quickly drag into a whole minute.
'Uh oh. Okay, this isn't working. Time for Option B!' Nick's panic grows, breathing growing rapid as concern over the direction this conversation has taken. "O-or Cynthia, I guess. I-I really don't know."
Elm takes additional notes, before finally speaking. "Both Sinnoh and Johto. Interesting. Can you please recite your birthday?"
'Man he's going for the heavy hitters. At least in this circumstance. Is this actually somehow, inexplicably the world of Pokémon? When will he give me his speech?' Nick silently chuckled at being on the receiving end of yet another 'Welcome to the world of Pokémon!' speech.
He recites birthday as perfectly as someone who's had to use it to clarify which Nick he was in the given room in every year of schooling up until and including University, not even registering he spoke while still pondering the implications of being the protagonist in the world of Pokémon. 'Relax, Nick. It's just standard doctor things. Making sure you don't have amnesia or something.'
"And what did you do as employment Mr. Nick?" The Professor inquired. 'Alternatively,' He thought, 'this is an impromptu interrogation.'
Immediately following the question, Vulpix once again growled.
"Yes yes, little one. We'll discuss you afterwards. I want to make sure your owner is in good health." Elm looks briefly towards the vulpine before returning his gaze to Nick.
The question threw off the blonde boy. "I was uh, a marine biologist? I worked in an aquarium, rehabilitating fish and trying to get my research off the ground."
The Professors eyebrows peaked at the end. "Research, you say? And what kind of research would that be?" It sounded as if he was barely containing his excitement, an errant spark of life quickly developing into a full-fledged flame. His pencil worked furiously against the clipboard.
Nick paused, "In short, determining if cephalopods have instinctual knowledge of tool use, or if its learned behaviour. It was just a silly little idea I had but-"
"Hah!" Elm shouted. "I knew it! I told you Lyra!" He turned and pointed toward the door at the girl who continued to stand in the doorway. She rolled her eyes in response and leaned against the white doorframe. "Okay, this is fantastic news. Absolutely incredible. I knew turning you over to Joy would have been a mistake. Alright." He finishes writing more notes down before tucking his pen in a pocket and standing up. "Right! This is for you." He produces a wallet from behind him and hands it to Nick.
It is his wallet.
He opens it to reveal all of his ID and cards still present within.
"Wh- but-" Nick stumbles over his words, trying to understand what just happened. 'Did he have these the whole time?' Nick asks himself, unsure of whether he had just been played or not.
"Sorry about all that, had to make sure you were both sound of mind and not about to lie through your teeth about yourself and the rough events of your life and arrival. Not that I'm entirely sure how or why, but you're here now and I am not about to squander this opportunity. Feel free to get dressed and meet us in the main room. We have a lot of paperwork to go over to get you to be a League Endorsed trainer, as well as just going over broad strokes about you, Johto, and the world as a whole." The professor stands up and make his way towards the doorway grinning.
'Trainer?'
The word echoes, not unlike regret and unable did prior.
For the first time, the girl in the doorway speaks. "I still think you're overreacting and overthinking. Silph was probably just testing a new offroad vehicle or something, and it had an accident. Let the Joys take care of him."
"I most certainly am not and will not, Lyra. A friend vouched for him, and I'm not letting their word go to waste. Now if you could please grab Ethan, I'd like for him to be present for this as well." The girl, presumably Lyra, stepped aside and let the Professor out. Before rounding the corner, he turns back to face Nick. "And please bring your Vulpix, if for no other reason than to prevent them from burning down the place while you're gone. Almost took off a finger while trying to treat you. Anyways, off to print things! Onwards, Lyra!" Elm departs, leaving an exacerbated Lyra by the doorway.
She sighs. "I'm sorry for him. He can be… Enthusiastic, sometimes. He's harmless, albeit occasionally overbearing. Just let me know if you need to sneak out the back and I can get you out without him knowing." She moves to leave before stopping, face wracked with apprehension and looking as if they would almost speak before finally leaving as well.
Nick half sits, half lies there paralyzed. 'What in the ever-loving hell just happened.' He asks, looking at the Vulpix that continues to lay on him. Their eyes meet once again, and the unending depth of the vulpine gaze takes his breath away.
"Alrighty. That settles it. I'm actually dead, and this is just the last thirty seconds of my brain neurons firing off. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts. This is just my, albeit rapidly shrinking, life now." He falls back to the bed, covering his face with both hands. "What is even going on here. How did this happen?" He asks to no one in particular.
The small canid made a "brrrr" noise similar to a cat who just received a surprise pet they were not expecting but aren't entirely unwelcome to from someone they quickly recognize.
"Yeah, yeah. Alright, let's go. I'd like to at least go enjoy the sun one last time before the end." He lets his hands fall to his sides, bring one up to pet the small furry friend.
They take the moment the hand approaches to nip at it.
"Ow! Hey what was that for?!" Nick asked, meeting the gaze and staring down the orangey-red hostile entity of finger biting.
It stares back.
'Why am I reminded of feelings of disappointment and being slapped upside the head while being told "Stop it, get some help."? You have too much power, little fox. I don't like it.'
Giving a huff, the Vulpix stands up and hops off the man and bed making their way towards the door before turning back to Nick, sitting down, and waiting.
'What have I gotten myself into?' He wonders to himself once again. 'I'm starting to think Monty would have been the less crazy option.'
He stops himself.
'No, no, a potentially psychic, hyper-intelligent Pokémon as well as ending up in "The Wonderful World of Pokémon" after crashing my car because of chronic sleep deprivation, getting saved by, and talking to a professor who likely has a longer rambling streak than I have academic failures is -still- more explainable than Monty breaking his tank.'
He lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Welp. The call knows where I live. Guess I better get on with it." Nick moves to sit up and rolls out of bed with all the grace of a wet dog trying desperately to climb onto the steps a pool it had recently fallen into tossing aside the sheets which covered him in the process.
The friendly Vulpix elicits what can only be described as a laugh as Nick stands up proper.
"Come on, you." He says. "Let's go see what all this trainer non-sense is about."