Yet again, Andrew awoke in an unfamiliar place. Somehow his head hurt, even more, this morning than it did the previous day, pulsing with pain. He found himself in a room he didn't recognize. It was oddly cozy. The walls were welcoming, bright, and yellow. Unlike the Pokemon town, this room was sized to his height proportions.

The room was lightly furnished. There was a table with two benches on either side of it. Like the sign from the town's entrance, the room was illuminated by oil lamps. There was a large mirror mounted to a wall and a door on the adjacent wall to the right.

The paint on the walls was vibrant, like everything else in this world. However, it also appeared aged and worn, likely applied decades ago. The same could be said for the floorboards, some of which had noticeable cracks.

Andrew panned his head around the room, searching for windows or any semblance of nature. But there was nothing. Feeling uneasy his eyes darted back and forth as his breath became erratic. He could feel his heart beating harder and harder against his chest. Gasping for air, Andrew could barely breathe.

Without other options, he made his way over to the door. His new body had come with various weird and new features, but dexterity had not been one of them. It took him a minute to

figure out how to grasp the doorknob with his pseudo-hand. Clasping his fingers around it, he twisted the handle only to hear a faint click.

It was locked.

Andrew stomped his foot on the ground in anger. He ran back to the events of the previous day in his head. The last image in his mind was of an Espeon looking down on him as he fell unconscious.

Had he been captured? It seemed likely. This must have been some sort of interrogation room. It would explain why the door was locked from the outside. Andrew began panicking in his mind, more so than he already had been.

Who are these people? Are they going to hurt me? Am I going to be sent to prison?

But his concerns would have to wait. The door slowly opened and in walked none other than the Zorua and Espeon from earlier.

"Hey there Marshtomp!" said the Zorua jovially.

This caught Andrew off guard. His flight instincts activated, and he ran towards the door. Unfortunately, the Espeon shut it right before exiting the confining room was possible. Andrew ended up running face-first into the door.

"Please take a seat Marshtomp," the Espeon spoke slyly.

The captors made their way to the bench facing the mirrorless wall. Embarrassed, Andrew trudged over to the bench on the other side of the table. He faced the Espeon, giving the cue for the interrogation to commence.

"And what might your name be?" the Espeon asked.

"Why should I tell you?" sneered back Andrew.

The Espeon showed restraint, even as a look of displeasure overtook his purple snout.

"How about I go first?" asked the Espeon. "My name is Jason,"

He lightly bumped the accompanying Zorua sitting next to him. Taking the hint, the Zorua used his illusion ability. The room's light was redistributed. All of it was focused on the Zorua who had stood up on the bench as if standing on a stage.

Andrew had taken quite a dislike to his captors. But even he had to admit, the Zorua's illusions were impressive.

Dramatically he stated, "And I, dear Marshtomp, am the mighty Ryder!" before falling over laughing.

The room returned to its normal state and Jason looked at Ryder wearily. The Zorua regained his composure as the Espeon began to open his mouth.

"And, what might your name be?"

"Andrew," the Marshtomp murmured while turning his gaze to the floor.

"Why did you steal all that food?" yelled Ryder.

Jason glared at him. As he turned his focus to Andrew he saw a scowl envelop his blue face. Jason braced for whatever words or elements were about to come from his mouth.

"I was hungry," Andrew spoke meekly, "And I have no money,"

"Just get a job, thief," scoffed Ryder.

Andrew's flippers began to curl. They almost resembled fists, as his heart was beating faster. The rational part of his mind told him lashing out was a bad idea. It pleaded for him to stay calm. But its power had dwindled. The Pokemon part of his mind had been emboldened, and it was having none of this.

"I didn't do anything wrong, I was hungry," said Andrew desperately, but more aggravated.

"That isn't how it works," replied the Espeon.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Andrew repeated, more forcefully.

He carelessly swung his flippers down on the table, attempting to express dismay. However, he had not yet fully adjusted to his body. Nor did he understand its full capabilities. As his flippers made contact with the table, it cracked and fell to pieces.

"Uh, whoops," he said, with a tone of embarrassment.

Jason watched in horror as his interrogation fell to pieces with the table. Also to his dismay, the other two Pokemon began arguing with progressive malice.

"How cute, little marshy doesn't know his own strength," barked Ryder.

"I'm stronger than you could ever be. Why don't you use your illusions to disappear?" countered Andrew.

"Like how I tripped you yesterday?"

"Maybe I should trip you,"

Their shouts grew louder and filled with progressive malice as the insults worsened. Andrew's sharp orange eyes stared ferociously at the deep blue of Ryder's.

"It only took a rock to make you fall unconscious marshy," Ryder yelled while showing off a wide grin.

"Call me that again and I'll crack you like the table," Andrew yelled as his eyes looked just about ready to pop out of his skull.

"Oh no! Little marshy might hurt me!" said Ryder mockingly, in a high-pitched voice.

"Let's find out!" shouted Andrew as he picked up a chunk of the table.

Their eyes narrowed at each other. Ryder looked ready to lunge at Andrew, and Andrew was ready to pummel Ryder with the table chunk. Right before it seemed the Marshtomp and Zorua were going to have a battle in the middle of the room, a voice broke the tension.

"Shut up! Both of you, stop acting like children!"

Jason leaped between the delinquents to prevent the situation from breaking into violence. Evidently, everyone in the room was on edge, and nobody was thinking straight. Ryder disappeared, and Andrew raised the chunk of the table in his flippers. Ryder's reappearance coincided with kicking Andrew in the face.

Jason watched in horror as Andrew dropped the table chunk and clasped his flippers around Ryder's thick, bushy tail.

"Get your wet paws off me!" roared Ryder.

But Andrew did not release. Ryder's cries of annoyance became louder as he jerked his body around in an attempt to escape. The tail began to compress in Andrew's palms as his grip tightened. The forcefulness of Ryder's movement began to decline. He no longer vocalized annoyance, but began pleading for the Marshtomp to release its grip. However, Andrew did not cease. His previous face of displeasure and anger had disappeared behind the wide smile which now spanned gill to gill. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as Ryder's screams or pain filled the room.

Without warning, the Zorua's tail slipped out of Andrew's grasp. Before he could stop to think, a purple hue overcame his vision as he felt a sharp pain strike his fins and back. When his eyesight returned, Andrew found himself flung across the room.

Realizing there had been some sort of intervention, Andrew's heart began pulsing even faster. His gasps for oxygen were becoming audible. He began shaking uncontrollably as his anger overwhelmed him.

"Make another move and I'll kill you," yelled Jason desperately.

Coming to the realization fighting was a bad idea, Andrew stared at the ceiling and attempted to get a hold of himself. His shaking began to slow as he stared at the monotone stone of the cell's ceiling. As the adrenaline wore off, he processed in his mind what had just occurred. Why did I do that? How did I do that?

Andrew tuned out Jason's ramblings about how immature he and Ryder had been. Somehow he had to figure a way out of this mess. Maybe he could work off his debt? Beats going back to school, he thought. Staring at the decaying paint of the ceiling, Jason attempted to bring back his attention.

"Are you listening? I expect your full cooperation unless you want to rot in prison for attacking a guild member."

Andrew shot his head forward and slowly nodded.

"Uh, yes sir?"

"Good enough," Jason scoffed.

Andrew rolled his narrow eyes as Jason's interrogation continued.

"Were you aware the store you robbed had been robbed earlier?"

"Yes"

"Are you associated with the other Pokemon who robbed the store?"

"No"

"You know Marshtomp, we caught the others who robbed the store. Lying is a serious offense," said Jason slyly.

"I just woke up like this yesterday. Why would I know who robbed the store? I didn't do anything wrong, I was just hungry," pleaded Andrew.

An awestruck look spread itself across Jason's face.

"This interview is over, we will show you to your cell," he said plainly.

Andrew felt both a sense of relief and panic. Finally, the torturous, violent, interrogation was coming to a close. But at the same time, the confirmation that he had truly been arrested and was being held prisoner scared him.

I can't go to jail! I wouldn't last a day there! he thought.

Bringing him back to reality, "I have no need to hurt you if you go peacefully, Andrew," said Jason.

Without any other options, Andrew nodded his head in agreement. Jason creaked open the door and led him outside the room. Ryder stuck close behind him to deter any attempt at escape. The oversized nature of the hallway was immediately apparent.

Unlike the room, which had at least attempted to be welcoming, the hallway looked evil. It seemed to go on forever with endless doors on either side. The walls were dull and made of a dark stone, as well as the ceiling and floor.

There were no windows or natural light of any kind. The artificial lighting was dim, even with the oil lamps that lined the hallway. There were drains cut into the floor roughly every ten feet. Andrew did not want to imagine why they had been built. It seemed reminiscent of a fantasy dungeon to him.

There were a few other Pokemon roaming the hallway. They seemed to be a part of the same organization as Jason and Ryder. A few of them turned their heads to look at Andrew as he was ushered past. This is so embarrassing, he thought.

After walking down the giant hallway for what felt like an eternity, they entered through a corridor that transitioned its appearance. The wooden doors lining the hallway had become a thick iron, and the material that made up the wall, floor, and ceiling became a softer gray. Unlike the previous area, the noise was deafening.

Despite the continued lack of natural light, the area Andrew figured to be the jail was bright as day. The place was cramped with various species of Pokemon guarding doors. There was loud, aggressive, banging and thrashing echoing throughout the chamber.

"Got another one," Ryder yelled.

A Gurdurr and Incineroar joined Andrew's escort. After another minute of walking, the Gurdurr pulled out a key and unlocked an empty cell. Andrew was shoved inside before he could make any snarky comments about his situation.

He hit the floor as the heavy door slammed shut. There was not much to see, only a pile of hay in the corner, and bare, empty walls. He could still hear the yelling of prisoners and guards on the other side of the door, but it was muffled enough to tune out.

Andrew sat down. The floor was cold and hard, which felt pleasant to his Marshtomp body. Staring at the ceiling, overwhelming thoughts filled his head. Why am I here? What did I do to deserve this? I don't want to be like this. I don't deserve to be in prison! I'm a good kid. I don't deserve this. I was just hungry. Why does the universe hate me?

Getting a hold of himself, he attempted to shift his thoughts to something more positive. What would I be doing now if everything was normal? He pondered. Would I be doing homework? Reading? Watching TV? Maybe I'd be at the park, or at Jason's house. Wait, wasn't the Espeon named Jason? He realized. Of course, the universe definitely hates me.

Andrew felt stupid. How could he have missed such a crucial detail? Beginning to hammer the cell door with his flippers, he used all his strength to get somebody's attention. Maybe if I can talk to Jason he'll understand… he has to! The Marshtomp pleaded in his mind.

As his banging became more aggressive, a deep voice yelled "Stop it Marshtomp! Did you even read your note?"

The idea of ceasing had suddenly become appealing to Andrew, his flippers had become quite sore from clashing with the iron. Investigating the cell again, his eyes landed on a note placed on the haystack, which he had not noticed previously. He walked over and studied the note.

Marshtomp: 32A

Trial Tomorrow

Don't Bang The Doors If You Want To Eat!

His heart sank. I can't last here without food! These people want to kill me! Andrew swallowed any remaining pride he had and attempted to garner the mercy of the guards outside the cell.

Trying to sound as emotional and vulnerable as possible he yelled, "I'm sorry for banging on the doors!"

There was no response. He tried yelling again, again, and again, and another time for good measure. Before his mouth could open again to attempt to get the guards' attention, he heard the same deep voice from earlier.

"Shut up Marshtomp or I'll make sure you can never eat again!"

The noise was deafening and sent Andrew into a state of shock, pushing him onto the prison floor. It had caused a ringing in his ears which was overwhelming. He attempted to cover them to block out any other noise before realizing he had no idea where his ears were located.

After a few minutes, the ringing began to diminish. However, it was only to be replaced by the heightened sounds of the prison. The noise which had already been excruciatingly loud seemed to have doubled in volume. To him, it seemed as if every prisoner and guard was in a yelling match with somebody else, and had no plans of stopping.

Andrew had hit a breaking point. He was trapped in a monotonous cell and could not escape. He barely held back a tear from his left. Unable to pull himself together, he lay down on the haystack and squeezed his eyes shut. Throwing his flippers around his entire head muffled the noise to the point of being bearable. He drifted to sleep, hoping waking up would allow him to awaken from his nightmare.

But when he woke, Andrew's biological clock had no desire to communicate. He had no idea if he had been asleep for an hour or a day. Regardless, the noise from earlier seemed to have been quelled. Individual voices could be heard having a civil conversation, which was a welcomed change.

"Yeah we made him give up a few blast seeds, nothing much," said a soft, high-pitched voice.

"Did he get trapped in the Quivering Hollows again?" another replied back.

What's a Quivering Hollow? Andrew wracked in his mind.

"I remember the days when Mystery Dungeons were everywhere!" joked the second voice.

"Before we ran the world?" asked the first. To Andrew's dismay, the voices broke into laughter.

Despite having rested he still felt exhausted. The injury from the rock shot at bullet speed still lingered on the back of his head. A stark realization came upon him. He didn't just feel miserable, he felt worse than before he fell asleep. An unpleasant thought came to him, why do I feel so terrible?

Andrew could feel his physical condition actively deteriorating. His head began throbbing harder, and his flippers were becoming sorer. There was only one word repeating through his mind, water. The realization should have come sooner, but it wasn't as if the guards he was dependent on would have cared.

Andrew had experienced dehydration before, but only to the point of developing a headache or minor fatigue.

This was something else. This was torture.

Painting with exhaustion and his body going numb, he could barely think, much less move or do much of anything else. His chest, his head, and his very limbs tingled and stung as though a thousand knives were stabbing at his bleached skin. His mind was going blank, his few remaining thoughts delirious and unhinged. The world around him spun, vision blurred as he fought to remain conscious. Deprived, or out of his own free will, the reason for dehydration did not matter to his body. It was going to discipline him for its neglect or die trying.

Andrew was paralyzed, attempts to push himself off the floor only amplified his excruciating pain. He tried to call for help, but only soft, incomprehensible sounds came from his mouth. He tried again, only to yield the same result. His blood boiled, and the little thoughts he had left only demeaned and mocked him for the resulting situation. Every second that passed by the voices only grew louder and louder. The mental anguish of fear and uncertainty began to overwhelm him more than his degrading body.

Andrew could not take the pain any longer. He shot up from the ground and screamed at the top of his lungs. It was so excruciating that precious water leaked from his eyes. He thought he could feel each of his bones individually shattering, and his muscles being slowly dissolved by his own blood. His tongue felt as if it had been set on fire and was being ripped out from his throat.

A Buizel burst through the cell door and began yelling, "Shut up! unless you want me to…" before seeing Andrew propped up against a wall with his eyes rolled back.

"Water," Andrew said weakly before falling back onto the ground.

He barely caught a glimpse of the Buizel scurrying out of his cell. He could faintly hear the word, "Medic!" repeatedly echo in his ears as he lost consciousness.

A cooling sensation overtook him as his eyes slowly opened. He found himself surrounded by a blur of vibrant colors. Staring at them, they danced around his field of vision. He could not look away, as if in a trance. The cooling sensation returned, this time centered on his face. Thoughts returned to Andrew's devoid mind as the colors began coming into focus.

He quickly realized that he was surrounded by various other Pokemon who were in complete silence. Immediately recognizable were Ryder and Jason standing to his left. Ryder had a neutral expression spread across his snout. However, his eyes gave an ominous blank stare toward Andrew. Jason had a similar expression, seeming as if he had seen something horrible.

Standing to his right were three other Pokemon. Andrew recognized the Buizel from before, who had a distressed look on their face. They were accompanied by a Flaaffy and Audino, both of who had looks of relief on their pink faces.

Andrew tilted his head quizzically, attempting to gauge the situation. The continued stares from the Pokemon around him began to scare him. Breaking the tedium, the Audino shifted towards the cell door, which Andrew noticed had been left open. With unexpected strength, it slammed the iron door shut. As the Audino turned around, Andrew saw the most horrifying thing since his humanity had been robbed. The Audino's deep scowl and narrowed eyes were filled with pure hatred and anger.

"What were you thinking? Were you trying to kill him?" he yelled in a vaguely masculine voice.

The faces of the Buizel and Ryder began to mimic the one of the Audino, their expressions falling into frowns as their eyes narrowed. The Flaaffy attempted to make an escape, running toward the door. The Audino's arm shot out as she passed him, connecting with her stomach.

The Flaaffy's arms clutched her gut as she slowed down and fell to the floor, shedding a tear from the sudden pain. Andrew cowered behind one of his raised flippers. But as the details became more clear to him, his heart began to slow and his breath became less erratic. Lowering his flipper, his eyes gleamed as he watched the arguing commence.

"How was I supposed to know he was dehydrated?" snapped back the Buizel.

"Maybe if you knew how to do your job you would have," said the Audino with a continued scowl.

Before the Buizel could retaliate against the Audino's harsh words, an audible rumbling came from Andrew's stomach. Ryder began to snicker, his face lighting up with the first smile Andrew had seen since he was captured. Laughing harder, Ryder fell onto the ground as Jason's face also broke out into a smile.

However, the Audino's voice only grew louder and more intense, "Please tell me you fed the Marshtomp."

"Jack put him on the don't feed list, don't blame me!" replied the Buizel.

"He nearly died on your watch!" the Audino said, "Get him some food!"

The Buizel glared at the Flaaffy. Taking the hint, she got up from the floor and made her way toward the cell door, still clutching her injured stomach. She timidly opened it, glaring at the Audino as she exited the room.

The Audino's expression grew no less rough as he approached Ryder and Jason, who had since recovered from their misplaced positivity.

"Did you give him any water?" he asked calmly. The Audino's eyes bored into them.

Standing his ground Jason responded, "He didn't ask for any."

"Then why didn't you? Aren't you supposed to be a rescue team?" the Audino asked.

"If you don't stop insulting me and my colleagues I might have to report you," Jason shot back.

Retaliating, the Audino sneered back, "It would be a shame if I had to report you for neglect of an outlaw," his scowl turning to a smirk.

Outlaw? That's a bit much, thought Andrew.

The cell door creaked open, the Flaafy's pink and white head peeking through. Jason and the Audino fell silent as their gazes turned to the door. The Flaaffy began strutting into the cell carrying a tray of food and an oversized bucket. Wobbling, she placed the items down next to Andrew before whispering to him,

"Personally, I don't think someone who steals food should get handouts from the guild."

"Thanks for the free food," Andrew said nonchalantly. He gave the Flaafy a warm smile.

The Flaaffy glared at him but refrained from escalating, shaking a little as she turned her gaze toward the angry Audino.

Seizing the cell's unprecedented peace, the Audino announced, "I believe we are done here."

Without hesitation, the Buizel sprinted out of the cell. Their heart beat fast as they did not dare to disobey. Jason and Ryder followed close behind, leaving only Andrew and the Audino.

He put a hand on Andrew's shoulder and made direct eye contact.

"Get a good night's rest, and good luck with your trial tomorrow," he said softly.

The Audino's sudden change of tone and attitude caught Andrew off guard. Panicking, he stuttered a bit before forcing out a simple, "Th-Thanks."

Satisfied, the Audino left the cell and locked the door. Yet again, Andrew was alone and without guidance.

He inspected the food which had been given to him begrudgingly. Surprisingly, the meal looked quite appetizing. There were three large, fluffy, flawless slices of bread. They were surrounded by berries of various colors. Each one was intoxicatingly vibrant to look at and had a unique shape. Andrew picked up a berry and plopped it into his mouth. His face lit up as the realization hit that this food tasted just as good as the food he had stolen the other day.

As he shifted position, his left tail fin brushed against the bucket. This reminded him of the fact that he had still not drunk anything in over a day. Examining the bucket, he quickly realized it was not sized to Marshtomp proportions. It was about a third of his height and filled to the top with water. Despite its size, Andrew effortlessly lifted it and put his blue lips on its edge. He tilted the bucket and let the water flow into his mouth.

For the first time since his capture, he felt fully hydrated. Turning back to the exquisite prison meal, he took a bite of the bread. It was nothing special, but he appreciated the familiar taste. The rest of the food fell effortlessly into his mouth as he stared at the wall in silence.

Andrew yawned, ready to put an end to the exhausting day. His mind still had no idea what time it was, but his fate was decided as he slumped onto the messy haystack. Squinting his eyes, the room blurred and became almost familiar. He attempted to recognize the cell as his own room. Reality itself seemed so close to changing. But when his eyes shot back open, he was met with the same bleak prison cell.

A drop of water fell from Andrew's eyes. Then another, and another, until it became a constant stream. He kept his mouth shut attempting to suppress the horrific noises emanating uncontrollably from his throat. Flipping over to face the wall, his eyes squeezed shut as he finally fell asleep.