Tanner awoke early the next morning, and Landon escorted him to Tony's cafe, as per their morning routine. Tanner was growing to like Tony's baking. His appetite was nothing compared to Landon's, but the rolls were tasty.
"So-" Landon said as he licked his lips. "Sorry it's taken me a while to get to this point, but I did want to talk to you about your sleeping arrangement."
Tanner's ears perked up, and he looked up from his half eaten cinnamon roll.
"While you're still getting settled in, I thought it might make sense for you to be my roommate." Landon continued.
"Wait, really?" Tanner was shocked. He had never had anyone offer anything like that. He had never needed a roommate of course- Tanner lived with his mom. Being someone's roommate was a big deal, though. It meant that Landon liked him.
"Of course. Did you think I was going to make you get your own place?" Landon tilted his head curiously.
"No. I just..." Tanner trailed off. He wasn't sure what to say. He was nervous, but also excited. Landon was cool and confident. He was... well, he was a dog. But Tanner was also a dog, so it made sense on that level. Maybe they would be good roommates. They could stay up late and hang out and play pranks on each other.
"Well, I did get you a bed and a chest, though there's not much else. We'll get you some items you can call your own. On that note, I have some ideas to help you use your energy more easily." Landon looked at Tanner curiously as he spoke.
"I... alright. Umm... thanks."
"Don't mention it. I figure it will be good to get away from Miss Ramona. She can be intimidating at times." Landon shivered.
Tanner narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He could understand that - Miss Ramona was very unnerving. The thought of a sentient plant was just hard for him to wrap his head around.
More importantly, Tanner was still thinking about being Landon's roommate. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. What if Landon thought that Tanner was weird and asked him to move out later?
A few moments of silence passed. A gentle breeze blew through the cafe, the wind whistling between buildings and fluttering the umbrella above their table. A flower petal from a nearby bloom floated by on the wind and landed on their table.
The Mightyena examined Tanner for a while, before asking- "Are you feeling better?"
"What do you mean?" Tanner asked.
"You seem different. Your posture is more upbeat. I… we're still going to make sure you get home as soon as we can, of course."
Tanner thought for a moment, unsure of how to answer. He did want to go home, but…
"I'm getting used to all this. What do you mean my posture is different?"
Landon tilted his head curiously, then smiled.
"You're in a different body huh? Do you understand my body language?"
"Sort of. Like, wagging your tail is happy. Growling is angry." Tanner never had a dog, but he knew enough about them to know when to stay away from one. Tanner might understand more of his body language if Landon was a Betta fish.
"Not quite. Raised ears are a good sign that you are listening closely. For example, your ears tend to wander when you're in a conversation. Makes it seem like you aren't always listening." The Mightyena joked with a smile.
Tanner pointed his ears at Landon, which had started to wander.
"They're hard to control." Tanner mumbled.
"You'll get used to it. Your tail is as important as your ears when expressing yourself though. You are right in that a rapid tail wag can mean happiness or excitement. A slow tail wag can be nervousness or deep thought. Yours has been moving more recently." The Mightyena wagged his tail again, though slowly this time.
Tanner followed along, moving his tail back and forth. "Does every pokemon have different body language?" If so, it would almost be impossible to get to know them all.
"It depends. Tessa and I have very similar body language, but some pokemon, like say, Salamence don't. It's not easy to learn, but you should know your own body language." Landed explained.
He would try to remember it. There was just so much to remember.
"I miss having hands. There's too much fur too." He lamented. Having to hold things with his paws and mouth was so frustrating…
"Yeah, I'd imagine so. Though you aren't the only one with an excess of fur." Landon smiled. "You're lucky not to-"
Right then, a familiar Lucario pulled up a seat at their table. Her fur was disheveled, and there was a small cut on her lip. She took a deep breath, and sighed as if relaxing for the first time in a while.
"Tess! You're back!" Landon's ears perked up quickly when he saw her, and his tail began to wag happily, thumping rhythmically against the chair behind him.
"Like the spring rain," Tessa responded in her usual melodic voice.
"Hi, Tessa. Good to see you." Tanner would have to continue the conversation with Landon later. Tessa had been gone several days and was looking for answers on why Tanner was here. He was curious to know what happened.
"I'm glad to see you're up and about." The Lucario beamed. She examined Tanner for a moment, evaluating his change in demeanor, before turning to Landon. "How long have I been gone? How have you two been doing?"
"A few days. We've been learning about pokemon, moves, types, and trying to learn snarl." Landon responded. "So… what did you find?"
"Not much, but an extraordinary amount at the same time." Tessa mused…
Landon rolled his eyes.
"Where did you go?" Tanner asked.
"The Shadow Grove- where we found you. It was far more challenging than usual- I encountered a few dark Samurott, Poliwrath, and a Zweilous among others. The dungeon was… unkind."
"That's… terrifying. Are you alright?" Landon's expression grew more and more concerned as Tessa spoke.
"I used a fair amount of items," Tessa responded.
"Good. Did you find anything?" Landon's worry for her well-being seemed to be placated for the time being, at least.
"I did, yes. I heard a voice. It was psychic. It definitely belonged to a Legendary pokemon. They seemed… scattered. Facetious, almost." Tessa recounted.
"Arceus, this is real." Landon whispered. Tanner could see the canine's tension- his fur was standing up on end and his breath was rapid.
"Is that bad?" Tanner asked. A scattered legendary pokemon wasn't great, and he couldn't remember what facetious meant, but it obviously wasn't good.
"Not necessarily. Some Legendary pokemon are known for their… jovial attitude. It would be more pleasant than being with say… Yveltal." Tessa shrugged.
Tanner wasn't sure who Yveltal was, or what that meant. He would have to look it up later.
"What did they say?" Landon asked.
"They didn't know where Tanner was at first. They asked if I knew, and I told them that we found him in the Shadow Grove. They said that they didn't have enough energy, and would come for Tanner soon. They said that we should train him…" Tessa opened her mouth to speak again, then hesitated.
Tanner's heart pounded. His mind was a flurry of emotions. Tessa had found the Legendary entity who brought him to this world, and they were going to come find him! Part of him wanted to demand that they send him back immediately. Part of him was curious to see what adventure he was supposed to have.
"Do you have any idea who it is?" Landon asked.
"I have a few fleeting ideas. Mew, or Victini, maybe."
A moment of silence passed between the three. Despite his own emotions, he could see Landon and Tessa's worry. Though she figured out what she wanted, something unsettled Tessa in the dungeon.
A thought crossed Tanner's mind that worried him. Maybe they didn't want him to go home.
The sounds of idle chatter from distant tables and clinking dishware filled the silence, before Landon spoke up again.
"Mew or Victini? Not Lugia or Latios? Why specifically them?" Landon inquired.
"It sounded like a prankster Legendary." Tessa faltered as she spoke.
"A prankster legendary? Do you think that's something we need to be worried about?" Landon asked.
"I don't know. They seemed distressed on top of everything else." Tessa shrugged.
A platter fell on the ground nearby, sending cups crashing. Landon yipped and jumped. The restaurant turned their attention to the commotion to the mess, and eventually went back to minding their own business.
Landon and Tessa were quiet. Tanner broke the silence.
"That's what I'm here for, right? If this Legendary is in trouble, I'm going to help them. That's why they brought me here."
Despite everything else, one of the legendary pokemon brought him here for a reason. They needed his help. Tanner wanted to go home, but if he could help make this world a better place on the way, he would.
Landon and Tessa shared a look at each other for a while. Blue energy swirled around Tessa's head, and she smiled. Landon was the first to speak, however.
"You're right. We need to get you trained, so you can be ready for whatever comes at you. There's no sense worrying about it now. We'll be by your side the whole way."
Tanner's tail flicked back and forth quickly. Yeah, hearing that made Tanner even more determined. He would learn moves. He would help whoever this Legendary was who needed him.
And Landon was definitely his friend.