Chapter 2: Salt of the Earth

Edward trailed behind Kate as they walked the rocky path away from the beach and towards the distant town, lost in thought. Now that he had time to think, he began to truly sort out his thoughts and memories. He remembered a lot of mechanical things, such as math and some of the natural sciences, but more emotional memories eluded him. He knew he had parents and was sure he had siblings, but he knew not their names nor even their numbers. He even knew he loved them and missed them, but he could not recall one solid memory of them. Then there was a strange middle ground. He could recall some stories, folk tales his grandparents would tell him, a play or two he saw performed at a theater, tales of chivalry that inspired him still. Yet, the details of these stories were fuzzy.

In short, his mind was a mire of half-remembered thoughts and feelings in which the only solid ground was his knowledge of the natural world, which was proving to be increasingly useless as this new world continued to defy his understanding of natural law. At least he was confident in another solid thing about his identity. He had just recently turned fifteen.

"And here we are!" Kate said, coming to a stop. Edward stopped and looked up to see a medium-sized sandstone house with worn wooden doors and high windows that he had no hope of seeing through. Looking at the house brought into focus how much smaller he now was. Despite knowing that the house by all rights was of a modest size, it looked as large as a looming duke's manor. Kate seemed unfazed by the size difference and pushed the door open, calling out, "Grandma, Grandpa! I'm home! I brought a friend too!"

Kate entered the house, beckoning Edward to follow. Inside, the first room in the house was furnished modestly, with tables low to the ground and cushions positioned carefully around the table. A bookcase stood against the far wall, loosely packed with scrolls and brooks bounded by leather. Along the wall to his right was a large window that let light in and underneath it was what appeared to be a small shrine with three strange figurines on it and an incense burner in front of them. To his left the room transitioned into a small kitchen where a much larger reptilian daemon was propping herself up onto a counter, chopping up large berries. The daemon looked like a large reptile, almost draconic in nature, with a long body and short legs. Another large daemon, unlike any creature Edward could remember, stood beside her. This one looked less fearsome, possessing a brown and green correlation, he too rested on four legs, though he had wings that resembled giant leaves and possessed an unreasonably long neck.

The green and brown daemon turned his head as Edward entered, strange yellow tubes hanging from the bottom of his head, and said, "Ah, Kate! Eric did say you were hanging out on the beach when he passed by," with a smile. Edward was stuck by just how old his voice sounded.

The red and white daemon turned, and Edward took note of the strange red flaming bird-like entity resting at the end of the beast's long jaw. She was frowning, "Sweety, you know you're not supposed to go into Mystery Dungeons alone," She too sounded ancient, "You're not ready to go diving into adventure yet."

Kate pouted, "But I had to! Otherwise, Edward here would have been in serious peril!"

Edward's ears twitched, the sound of his name breaking him out of his shock, "I, err, pardon the intrusion-,"

"Oh, no problem there sonny," The large green and brown daemon said, "Me and the misses love having guests over." From the leafy beast, a vine emerged and snaked its way to Edward. The Eevee's eyes went wide as he stared at the vine, his brain trying desperately to catch up with reality.

He felt Kate elbow him, "Hey, it's rude to leave a 'mon hanging."

He turned to her, his fur standing on end, "Hanging?"

Kate looked at her grandparents who looked at her and their houseguest with a troubled expression, "Kate," Kate's grandmother began, "Is your friend…was he hurt in the dungeon."

"I don't think so," Kate said, putting a claw to her cheek and tilting her head in thought, "I was out for a bit after that Staryu got a lucky shot in…"

"Kate!" The red and white daemon exclaimed, "This is why you-"

"But I personally think he's just shocked again," Kate quickly proposed, "This is his first day as a pokémon after all!"

"First day as a pokemon?" Kate's grandfather questioned, retracting the vine, "Do you mean he's a human?"

"Yep!" Kate said brightly, "I found him all washed up on the beach and he was pretty startled when I woke him up. So startled he ran into Sandstone Cave! So, you see, I had to go after him, otherwise, he would be in a real pickle."

"Kate," The red and white daemon began, her voice gentle voice, "You can't just go around claiming random pokemon are humans. This poor Eevee likely just got lost or-"

"But he is!" Kate said, stomping her foot, "Just ask him!"

Kate's grandma looked exasperated, but her grandpa nodded and walked slowly over to Edward, leaning down so that his eyes were level with the Eevee's, "Alright, sonny," he said, his voice slow and gentle. Somehow, it felt familiar to Edward, like his own grandfather had talked to him in a similarly soothing fashion, "You're safe here. If ya' need help, all you have to do is ask."

Edward paused, suddenly feeling like a child. In a small voice, he asked, "C-can you take me back? Back to England? Back to my family?"

"England?" Kate's grandpa questioned, looking back to his wife. She shook her head, a look of concern growing on her face, "So you really were…err…human."

Edward nodded, feeling tears well up in his eyes, "I just want to get home and back into my body."

There was a long pause before Kate's grandpa spoke, "There is no easy way to tell you this, but only a god could send you back to your world."

Edward took in a deep breath, forcing back his instincts to run and cry. You have to face this, he told himself, Running away will not help your situation. He forced himself to put on a brave face, "I understand. Thank you for being honest with me." Again the statement came out more shaky than he had intended, but he held himself together.

"How about we eat," Kate's grandma said, "and then we can talk more."

Kate nodded, "I'll help set the table."

Edward wordlessly nodded and was led to one of the cushions that surrounded the table. The cushion was surprisingly soft, and if he wasn't so hungry, he might have curled up and taken a nap. As he sat patiently, a wonderful smell assaulted his nose. The scent of fresh bread wafted through the air, along with the smokey scent of roasted duck. Kate came by promptly and set out four plates and some table napkins before sitting next to him, a contemplative look on her face.

They sat in silence till the meal was served. A large roast duck was set in the middle of the table accompanied by a huge loaf of bread that had been baked with sweet berries and a pitcher of crystal clear water. Edward could not remember a meal that tasted nearly half as good, though his sample size of recollection was small. He was silent throughout the meal, letting Kate catch her grandparents up on their misadventure in the cave. It seemed as if the others had come to a silent agreement to let him rest if he wanted, which suited him just fine.

After eating his portion of the meal, he looked at Kate's grandparents and said, "Thank you for the meal; sir, madam."

"It was no trouble dear," Kate's grandma said with a soft smile that Edward couldn't help to find odd on her fearsome face, "Do you need a place to rest tonight?"

Edward nodded, "Again, I don't want to impose, but I'm afraid I have no option but to ask for logging here. I cannot pay but-"

"Sonny, there's no need to be so formal," Kate's grandpa interjected, "We're just happy to help."

Edward bowed his head, "Thank you."

"If you want," Kate's grandmother said, "Dale can take you to the guest room. You look rather tired."

"Dale?"

"Oh, dear, I think we forgot to introduce ourselves," Kate's grandpa said with a chuckle, "I am Dale, a Tropius, and this is my wife, Agatha. She is a Skeledirge."

Edward nodded, trying to absorb the information, "More types of pokemon then?"

"Well, we're both different types and different species," Dale began, but sighed, "Perhaps we'll start with that in the morning."

"Thank you," Edward mumbled again. Dale stood and started to walk deeper into the house and Edward followed.

The Tropius led him down a hallway lit by strange glowing crystals affixed to the wall. He paused in front of one of the doors, "Now me and the misses sleep in this room," he then pointed to a set of stairs at the end of the hallway, "Kate's room and the attic are up there. There is also a second washroom up in the attic. The one down here," he moved a bit further down the hall, "Is right there. And this," he put his foot on another door and pushed it open, "Is our guest room."

Edward stepped inside. The room was on the smaller side, though since he was much smaller now it didn't matter all that much. The room had a large chest set against one wall and a bed with a nightstand on the other. A single window provided a look outside at the darkening sky. The bed looked huge in comparison to his size, but judging by the Tropius' size the bed was probably considered standard-sized.

"I'll wake you in the morning for breakfast," Dale said, giving the Eevee a gentle pat, "If you need anything, just let me or the misses know."

He turned to walk away, but before he could, Edward spoke, "Sir Dale," he began, causing the large beast to turn, "Thank you."

The creature smiled, "It's no problem sonny." And he continued to lumber down the hallway back to the dining room. Edward turned and made his way into the room, closing the door behind him. With the last bit of his remaining energy, he hopped up on the bed and curled up on one of the pillows. There, he cried himself to sleep.

Kate watched Edward follow her grandpa down the hall, and turned back to her plate, poking at what remained of her duck sandwich. She could sense that her grandma was about to give her a 'talk'n too', and Kate was not looking forward to it.

The day had been a strange one, to say the least. She had found a real, flesh-and-blood human hero, and he had been nothing like the tales of legend. Human heroes were supposed to be brave, fearless even, and ready for adventure. Heck, in some of the stories the human and they're partner immediately joined Exploration and Rescue guilds, leaping into danger. Edward had shattered that view.

"Hmm, not as easy as you thought it would be?" The question startled Kate. Looking up from her plate she saw her grandma looking at her, a knowing look on her face, "It always sounds easier in the stories. Like some grand adventure that unravels before you."

Kate sighed, pushing her plate away, "Well, I suppose I was just caught off guard by how…helpless he is. I mean, how is he supposed to save the world if he knows less about the world than a kit half his age would. Add to that the fact he is scared out of his wits-"

"Wouldn't you be?" Her grandma asked, cutting her off.

Kate frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Wouldn't you be frightened in his situation?" Her grandma clarified, "Thrust into a new body in a world not your own, without your friends and family to guide you."

"No, well…" Kate trailed, her thoughts turning inward. It only took her a few moments to realize she would be frightened, "I guess I would be." She said quietly.

Her grandma nodded, "It would be the natural response to the situation. If you're going to be partners, you're going to have to be patient with him."

Kate's stubby tail twitched, "You're giving me permission to join the Guild!"

"Now I didn't say that," Her grandma said with a sigh, "But I know I couldn't keep you from your dreams forever. Soon enough you'd be old enough to join without my permission. And besides," A troubled look came over the elder's face, "It appears destiny has forced my hand. Edward is a former human, of that I have no doubt."

"Hmm," Kate said, calming her excitement, "Wait, how do you know for certain."

"First of all, the boy doesn't strike me as the deceitful type. Even if you put him up to this, I don't think he'd be able to keep up the act," The Skeledirge huffed, "Second of all, I am a ghost type, remember. I possess a bit of spirit sight. Not nearly as strong as Eric's or Priest Thomas', but it's strong enough to tell that his spirit is unlike other pokemon spirits."

"So he really is going to be a hero!" Kate said excitedly, "Chosen by the gods and all that! Fighting against ancient evils, discovering lost treasure-"

"Coming into constant contact with life-threatening dangers," The Skeledirge added, a serious look on her face.

Kate looked away from her grandma, "I mean, I guess so. But, don't all rescue and explorer teams face life-threatening dangers?"

"Hence why we tried to keep you away from it so long," Kate looked up to see that her grandpa had returned, "And on the topic of danger, human heroes face things like ancient evils or world-ending catastrophes. Whatever the reason for his arrival, it means difficult times ahead."

Kate's eyes returned to her plate, "What are you saying?"

Her grandma sighed and got up, walking over to the little Fuecoco, and curling around her, "I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into. Life as a guild member isn't easy. You have to wake up early, do chores, complete perilous missions, deal with pokemon you may find unsavory, and follow orders. Add on top of that a partner who has to learn everything about being a pokemon from scratch with a destiny that will lead him into a great conflict with danger around every corner. It's going to be hard."

"We just want you to be safe, kiddo," Her grandpa added, sitting next to the two and wrapping his wings around them, "We promised your mother to look after you. And we love you, so very much."

Kate felt her heartache, but she steeled her resolve, "I can do this." She affirmed, "I know it's going to be tough, but Edward will need my help. And other pokemon will need our help…eventually."

"I know." Her grandma said. The three stayed in the family group hug for a while before they got up, "And know if you ever need us, we'll be right here."

"Oh, and keep us in the loop," Her grandpa added, "You know how much we love hearing tales of adventure. It will be extra special coming from you."

Kate looked to her grandparents, a smile having returned to her face, "Right! I will! I promise!"

Author's Note: Chapter 2! A bit of a shorter one that establishes more about Kate and gives Edward more time to adjust to his new reality. All things considered, I think he's doing great! As always, feedback is welcome!