Chapter 2|Stranger in a Strange Land

Luminus Cavern

Stars in the Subterranean Skies

'Riley!'

'Zoran?'

'Whatever happens to us… we will find each other, okay? Promise me that!'

'I promise…'

'See you on the other side.'

The last thing she remembered was a soft voice. A slightly nasal, but high-pitched voice that evoked confidence and innocence. Still, she could feel her memories fading away slowly. Trying to keep them was like trying to hold sand. More of her memory kept slipping through her fingers as she tried to recover them. She could only hold on to two names: hers', which was Riley, and Zoran's, the other mysterious male voice that began to fade from her memory as well. Who was he? After pondering these thoughts, she realized she was trapped in a void. She nearly went insane sitting in the darkness for the longest time, not even her body responding.

'Please! Wake up, Riley!' she told herself, 'How'd you let this happen, you idiot!' Denial wouldn't help her now… She screamed internally, wishing for some intervention. Then, she felt a drop of water splash onto on her head, diffusing the darkness around her. She woke up in a still-dark area, with faint lights around her, her body heavier than usual. She brushed it off as a cramp, but she still needed to know where she was. Her vision was completely blurry, and she was only able to make out the lights and the stone ground beneath her. It became clear to her that she was inside a cave with some water next to her, but she could also make out a hint of orange at the bottom of her field of view. She rubbed her eyes hard to clear them.

"What the…," she said aloud, as the orange thing turned out to be a snout. Her snout. 'This is NOT normal!' She grasped it with her hands, except they weren't hands anymore. They were claws. "AH!" she gasped, the words escaping from her mouth as a roar. What had she become? A Pokemon? She scrambled over to the lake to look at her reflection. The ugly face of a Charizard stared back at her in the light, sharp teeth, wings and all. This was all real though, she knew it. If she was a Pokemon, maybe this Zoran person became one too! How did this happen, though? Zoran had to have something to do with it.

As she struggled to stand, her vision returned to normal. Her only goal was to get the hell out of this cave. For several minutes, she simply just stood. This was her body. She could feel everything in this new form, from the nerves in the tail to the wingtips. She sheepishly grasped at the two horns protruding from her head and just stared forwards. Riley wanted to just close her eyes, and dissociate from the situation.

'Standing here isn't going to do anything, Riley,' she thought, 'Let's find Zoran, wherever he is. Maybe he's nearby?'

Walking was really uncomfortable in her new form, as her legs were really short. She could probably try to fly, but it wouldn't help. The cavern she was in was huge, the lake resting at the center of it. It would've been beautiful with the colored crystals, but Riley was too caught up in her situation and getting out of it. Her footsteps echoed as she made her way around the side of the lake towards a tunnel, her tail flame emitting a soft glow. She hoped there weren't any wild Pokemon in the cave, especially bat Pokemon. She loathed them with a passion, something that carried over from before her amnesia. Riley's train of thought was broken by a disturbance echoing through the tunnel. She froze in her tracks as she heard soft voices and footsteps approaching from the tunnel.

'They can speak, so they could probably help me!" she thought, heading towards the sound. An Azumarill and a Sawk appeared from the cavern entrance, and it was still really weird hearing Pokemon talk.

"Wow, this place is absolutely incredible!" exclaimed the Azumarill, her eyes wide with wonder before they drifted and locked onto Riley's. But her amazement quickly turned to fear when she spotted Riley's Charizard form. With a nervous glance, she backpedalled, brandishing a nervous fist. "Ah! Dragon!"

"That's not a dragon, Saphira. Charizards are fire and flying types," the Sawk reassured her. Riley breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that they spoke and acted like humans. Still, this was extremely unusual.

"Uh, hi?" Riley ventured, feeling utterly confused. "I'm really lost here. Where am I?"

"You came in through the entrance, didn't you?" the Sawk replied, raising an eyebrow. "How can you not know where we are?"

"I didn't exactly walk in here through the entrance. I woke up with amnesia," she admitted, rubbing her head. She decided to keep the fact that she was once human to herself.

"Amnesia? Do you at least remember your name, boing?" Saphira asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's Riley. But did you just say 'boing'?" Riley inquired, pointing her claw at the bubbly Azumarill.

"It's a habit," Saphira explained nonchalantly.

"How is saying 'boing' a habit?" Riley couldn't help but ask.

"Don't judge me, boing!" Saphira retorted.

"My name is Mr. Kenjo. Riley, would you like us to take you back to Kungwei, the city nearby?" the Sawk offered.

"Yes, that would be really helpful," Riley replied, massaging her long neck. She had no idea Pokemon had created cities—she imagined crude huts and roads in the middle of a forest.

"Sorry, Saphira, but the meditation will have to wait until next time," Mr. Kenjo interjected. "At least you got to see how incredible this place is."

"Yep, yep!" Saphira chimed in, full of excitement. "Follow us, Riley, boing!" They ventured down the cavernous tunnel, the damp air making Riley uncomfortable. Saphira was eager to know more about Riley's situation.

"So, you don't remember anything?" Saphira probed.

"Not a thing," Riley confessed. "I don't remember a damn thing."

"Oh, you should check out the guild, then!" Saphira suggested. "It's a great way to start out, right, Mr. Kenjo?"

"Indeed. A guild is a sort of union where Pokemon live and work together. They train, complete missions, and help others—all while getting paid," Kenjo explained.

Riley nodded, still trying to absorb all this new information. So Pokemon had their currency and a functioning civilization? What else would she discover beyond this cave? She found herself drawn to Saphira, a talking Azumarill she had just met. Dealing with her would take some getting used to, but she might be able to help Riley figure out who she was and the mystery behind Zoran.

"Sure," Riley agreed. "I have nothing better to do."

"Great, boing!" Saphira rejoiced, bouncing up and down with excitement. Riley couldn't help but smile faintly at her enthusiasm.

"I shall tell the guildmaster that you are from Pyrus. That should help smooth things out and allow you both to join the guild," Mr. Kenjo informed them. "It will be our little secret until you find out who you really are."

"Thank you, Mr. Kenjo," Riley expressed her gratitude. The plan might either work out well or backfire, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to find out who she was.

Suddenly, screeching and fluttering wings echoed down the tunnel. Riley knew the source of the noise: bat Pokemon. A swarm of Zubats flew overhead, and she covered her head.

"It's fine, Riley. They won't attack you if you don't bother them," Kenjo reassured her.

"Are they gone?" Riley panted, looking around. "I hate bats."

As they continued walking, Riley's tail light was accompanied by the subtle glow of the sun, signaling their exit from the darkness. The view outside was breathtaking. The majestic fighting town sat on the cliff below, several hundred steps down, defying her expectations.

The city was rich with culture—red and gold tiled roofs adorned with paper lanterns, peddlers selling their goods along the streets, and a vibrant atmosphere that intrigued Riley. However, her heart lurched as she realized just how high up she was. Her knees began to buckle and her vision began to spin and zoom.

'Just my luck… vertigo,' thought Riley.

"We'll meet you at the bottom, boing!" Saphira called out enthusiastically.

"No way I'm jumping from this cliff!" Riley protested. "I'll go down with you guys." Saphira looked puzzled.

"Can't you fly?" she asked.

"Yeah, well, heights are another thing I hate, so I'm walking down with you," Riley affirmed.

"Don't judge," Kenjo said calmly. "Some water types dislike swimming."

"No such thing, boing! Whatever, come on," Saphira said, leading the way. As they descended, Riley's short, stubby legs ached. If she were human, this would've been a piece of cake, but now her legs barely reached each step.

"I think I'm getting stronger, Sensei Kenjo," Saphira said proudly. "My legs don't hurt as much."

"That's great, Saphira," Kenjo replied in a nonchalant manner. Riley could've sworn his eyes were closed while he walked—was he meditating?

"Easy for you to say," Riley grumbled. "You can bounce down several steps."

"Stop being so grumpy. I didn't know amnesia made you cranky," Saphira teased.

"Well, it sort of did," Riley admitted.

"Whatever," Saphira responded, and she spent the rest of the way down explaining everything she knew about the guild. Somehow, Riley processed all the new information extremely well. "-and that's how the guild works! Do you need me to repeat anything?"

"No thanks," said Riley, everything still feeling alien to her. As Saphira and Sensei Kenjo continued to chat, they reached the foot of the stairs and made their way up the back stairs into the massive regal Pangoro Guild Hall.

The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of a giant Pangoro in a palace. With a little bit of help from Kenjo, she managed to create an albeit fake profile card for the guild.

Riley Charizard

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Birthday: May 8th

Moveset: Flamethrower, Fly, Flame Burst, Slash.

Peng, the guildmaster then asked, "Well then, what'll your team name be?"

"Team Requiem," chimed Saphira immediately, startling Riley. "I thought long and hard about it on the way down."

"I'll have to admit that it does have a nice ring to it," added Peng. "Well, I'm sure Sensei Kenjo can get your stuff ready. There is a belt system to rank teams in the guild. As you work here, you slowly gain belts. The better your team, the higher your belt will be. You won't be getting any badges or gear yet, as you're just students, or white belts. The order of the belts is as follows, I won't repeat it. White, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, brown, then black."

While Saphira was dizzy from the rapid onslaught of information, Riley remembered it perfectly. Was this why Zoran's name broke through that amnesia drug? He then explained all the guild tools like the bag and map. After a long while, they were an official exploration team! Kenjo walked the two girls to their room.

"As a white belt, you won't be leaving the guild until you move up to yellow… orange if you do well enough on the test," said the Sawk.

"There's a test, boing?" asked Saphira. Riley would never get used to that…

"Yes, it is coming up in two days, so you should train hard," said Kenjo.

"Two days!?" exclaimed Saphira.

"I believe you two can do it in two days. After you learn all the basics of course. Well, here is your room. Good night, and I shall see you tomorrow at training."

"Good night," said the two girls. Riley struggled to get comfortable in her bed, as her wings and tail kept getting in the way. Meanwhile, Saphira was still bubbly as ever.

"I hope we can pass the test as soon as possible. I can't wait to go on real missions, boing! We'll get to see the world and slay dragons!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong with dragons?" asked Riley.

"I forgot… I guess I should tell you about the Great War and what happened a week ago," she said. After fifteen minutes and several dozen "boings!", Riley understood Saphira's vendetta.

"That's awful. I'm sorry," said Riley awkwardly.

"It's fine. That's why I joined the guild!" exclaimed Saphira. Riley did feel for the Azumarill… but it still didn't click in her mind that this was her new reality. To her, falling asleep could very well mean that she could wake up in her human body the next morning. As she and Saphira chatted into the night, her heart began to sink. A cloud of darkness began to form in her mind, raindrops of uncertainty pattering onto her brain and thoughts. Far after Saphira stopped talking and drifted asleep, Riley was unable to do so. All these thoughts of this new world and being almost completely alone swirled into a cyclone in her soul, and all she could do was cover her eyes with her orange arm (which barely reached her snout) and lie there for hours on the verge of tears.

She needed someone with her. Someone she could rely on. She was going to tell Saphira tomorrow.