For a moment he finally could feel again. He had senses once more, he could hear, feel and think.
And the first thing he felt was the damp grass he laid on. It was so quite comfy, he could definitely remain there for a while longer.
Once he tried to open his eyes, the sunlight punished him, making him flinch and leave them closed.
He cringed, his entire self felt wrong, somehow.
"H-Hey… a-are you okay?" A voice spoke, unlike the previous one, this one was very much normal. Meek, shy and a bit pathetic, but normal. "I'll get you out of t-there! Just hang on…"
"Where… who…"
They don't appear injured. Still, I better make sure they're alright, no pokemon just explodes like that and turn out okay.
'This voice… it's coming from… my mind? But it's not mine…"
Once he started to think, he was suddenly assaulted by the worst headache of his life, a million other thoughts poured inside his head. None were his.
Ineedtogetthegroceriessoon! ?-They'reconvulsing!Igottadosomething!-Doesshelikemenot?Wowthisnewscarfissopretty!Wasittheredortheblueone?CanIgetthepromotiontoday?Where'dthatlittleshitwent?Ahcrapit'sgonnarainagain-
"AAAAAARGH!" He screamed, his head spinning, his mind ringing as if he had just burst an eardrum.
"W-What is it? Are you hurt?"
"MY HEAD!" He shouted, unable to stop shivering.
"Did you hit your head?" The voice asked, filled with concern.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" For a second, the voice thought it was with them, but immediately understood what he meant once he started to slap his own head in frustration. "ALL OF YOU! SHUT UP!"
The more time passed, the less sense the words made. And the more voices he could hear.
Tf cvpjl, jhu fvb olhy pa? Aopz tlzzhnl, jhu fvb ylhk pa? P dpss dhpa mvylcly, pm fvb lcly ylabyu av tl.
He wanted to puke, the discomfort was unbearable, it's like he was in a room full of people, and all of them were screaming in his ear at the same time. And they all were using megaphones.
"O-Oh! You're having an overload… Um…" He could not hear it, the voice was almost a whisper.
He felt something warm. Something nice.
This time they were more than words, he had a vision.
He could see a small pokémon, going all day to a big town. He had to walk hours to no end. And once he got there, he was quickly forgotten by the crowd of city-pokémon.
He had only a thorn bag and a scarf, others looked at him with pity, to them he appeared as a less fortunate pokémon.
But he paid them no mind, he went to the Peliper post office, and in some days he just sat there, waiting. Others he actually had letters to deliver, some he did for money, some he wrote himself.
In each that belonged to him, the dreams of a pokémon were laid in each word. He did not write with strategy, but passion. Detailing his feelings, and explaining his motivations.
'[...]I want to help others! I want to make others smile! That is why I want to be a doctor someday![...]'
'[...]I have read all your books, and I even attended some of your speeches, sir! You inspire me! I want to be like you! I've always wanted to join your guild![...]'
'[...]Being a police officer is my dream, because police officers protect others! I want to be strong like a police officer![...]'
"Pf. That is definitely not how you write a CV…" He thought. It was pathetic really, he would deny it if he was the one judging it.
'[...]I am very sorry, but your current experience[...]'
'[...]'I simply cannot allow myself to[...]'
'[...]Unfortunately[...]'
For every passionate letter, there was a robotic response, always with the same things written.
'You are young, weak and stupid and we don't believe in you.' That's what Cyndaquil always reads. Yet it never stops him from writing another letter somewhere else, with just as much passion as the previous one.
And all of a sudden, all the voices stopped. He only heard and saw… whatever this was. Despite how pitiful it was, this little pokémon's determination was a little inspiring. He might be a fool, but he was a fool that never gave up. He could respect that.
"T-There. There…" The meek voice gulped, and once he opened his eyes, he saw it belonged to the same pokémon he had just seen the memories of.
"Wait. A pokémon. It's a freaking pokémon. And it's… talking!"
"A-Are you-"
"WHAT FUUUUU-" He did not think, only tried to push the ENORMOUS Cyndaquil away, but to his surprise, the Cyndaquil was giant AND strong. Its grip did not let him go. Yet once the pokémon realized he was struggling to get free, the fire-type immediately let him go.
He flew back and landed on his back, pointing at it. "AAAAH! IT'S A CYNDAQUIL! AND ITS GIANT!"
"Y-Yes… and you're an Inkay." He was taken back, and nodded confused. "I am… a-average sized. I think."
"I AM NOT OKAY!" He shouted back, "NONE OF THIS IS O…Okay…"
He froze once he realized he did not have an arm anymore. Nor a hand, not even fingers. "I… have a tentacle…"
"Y-You actually have seven. Two are on the side of your head t-though." Cyndaquil corrected, furthering his panic.
"I SHOULD HAVE NONE, YOU DOLT!" He shook both his arm-tentacles as if they were fists, "I AM A HUMAN, NOT AN OCTOPUS!"
"... Actually, octopus-pokémon have eight tentacles, and a-a round head…"
"YOU." He pointed at the fire-type even harder, "ARE NOT HELPING!"
"S-Sorry…" Cyndaquil shook his arms apologetically.
Slowly, the voices started to return, the Inkay trembled, but before they could overwhelm him again, the Cyndaquil ran and tackled the psychic-type to the ground.
And just like that, no headache. No voices.
"What are you…"
"D-Don't! Just… r-relax!" He gulped, blushing a bit as he tightly hugged the squid. "Listen… t-to my voice. Think… positive."
Surprisingly, that seemed to work. The strange hug was… soothing, maybe because of Cyndaquil's warm fur. Maybe because of some weird instinct. Probably because of some brain chemical or whatever.
But what counted was that he felt calm. And… not bad.
"This is one weird pokémon. But I don't think he means any harm." He heard Cyndaquil's thoughts as if they were his own, "feels nice to hug him. He is less slimy than I thought he'd be!"
"Hey…!" He mumbled, not really pushing the other pokémon away this time.
"Ah! S-Sorry…" He sheepishly smiled, "I was right, you are a telepath aren't you? It's what your species is known for, Inkay!"
"Hm. Yes… but…" He looks at his arm-tentacles, then at his five leg-tentacles… moving them around. It felt strange, like he was born with extra legs. "As I said… I am human. Or was."
"Are you… for r-real?" Cyndaquil tilted his head.
"Yes. It's why I had an outburst like that. I believe I behave much more composed normally." He started to think again, but nothing came. Blank.
Not even a name. His heart missed a beat.
"Stop!" Cyndaquil hugged him tighter, letting out a few flames from his neck. "If you don't control your emotions, your mind will go into overload again! My Mama- I mean, my m-mother taught me that!"
He did not respond, just letting himself be enveloped by the hug. Only because he did want a repeat of that nightmare, he told himself.
"M-Maybe that's why you lost control when you woke up. You're… sad, aren't you?"
He let Cyndaquil's words sink in. What did he feel?
Empty. Confused. Angry.
Desperate.
He saw himself on a bed made of straw, he was bawling his eyes out. Sobbing so much he felt his eyes hurt, and his fur get drenched.
"I know, I know." A soothing voice, belonging to the wisest and most gentle female he ever knew, his mommy. "they just denied the brightest and most hard-working pokémon I've ever seen, my little Eagan."
"B-But mom… It's always like t-this. Maybe the other kids are right… I should just give up." Eagan, the Cyndaquil, looked up with eyes half-open.
"Never, ever give up." She smiled, licking his cheek. "A pokémon should not be judged by their successes, but by how many times they fell down, and got up again."
He felt something warm in his chest. What did he feel? Were these his emotions, or… this pokémon's?
The Inkay blinked, looking straight at Eagan's closed eyes. "You're… Eagan. Your mother and you… live not that far from here."
"Y-Yes. I guess you've seen it in my mind?" Eagan was a bit surprised, but smiled down at him.
"I… can't control it… this power… It just happens…"
"Don't apologize. I-I understand…"
"I wasn't apologizing. I was stating a fact." The Inkay rolled his eyes, "must you keep hugging me?"
"A-Ah! S-Sorry!" Eagan let him go, and he landed face-first on the floor with a groan. "Ow."
"S-Sorry…! Are you okay?" He looked down at the squid, "I thought your species could float on a whim! S-Should be like walking for you."
"I kinda asked for that one, I'll admit." He used his tentacles, mustering the strength to get him up. "And I told you. I have no idea how to do any of that. I was a human. Humans don't have tentacles, telepathy and don't float."
As if examining him, Eagan approached and started sniffing the Inkay, who tried to push him away. "You d-don't smell sketchy…"
He finally won in fighting for his personal space. Either that or Eagan just got what he wanted and stopped sniffing. "My memory might be limited, but I do know I showered regularly, thank you very much!"
"You're welcome." The fire-type smiled, and the alleged human-turned-pokémon groaned. "So… let's start from the beginning. A-And again try not to think TOO hard. If you don't have an answer, don't force it."
He sighs, and nods. "And I thought I was done with quizzes. Fine. I… accept. You may begin."
"Okay. W-What's your name?"
Blank. "I don't know."
"What's your m-mother's name?"
Blank again. He gulped. "I… don't know."
"Don't you… remember anything regarding n-names. Or a-appearance…?"
"..."
Eagan could feel the distress growing on the smaller male. And instead, he chose to try and distract him with happier questions.
"Um! What's your f-favorite food?"
Inkay tilted his head to the side. "Uhhh… Pie? I… like Pie."
"Oh you'll love my m-mother, then. Her pie is the best!" Eagan giggled, "what's your favorite random trivia?"
"What a stupid question! How does that help?" He said, but once staring at the worried expression Eagan had, he complied.
"Ugh. Fine. There are black holes in space, which are like huge gaping holes that swallow everything, and nothing can ever escape them. Here's the trivia: theoretically it's possible there exist white holes too, which are things that only spit out things, but nothing can enter. Weird right?"
"You're… not making that u-up?" Eagan scratched his head.
"I am not. I actually like how… for everything, there exists an exact opposite of it." Inkay was still looking at the fire-type, but his mind began to wander. "Even the most impossible things… have an opposing force to equalize it. Polarity. You get what I mean?"
Eagan had to think a little, but eventually he nodded. "I think I-I got it yes. It's like good and evil. Even if evil seems impossibly strong, there always must be good t-to match it!"
"That is a very melodramatic way of seeing it, but sure." He rolled his eyes, "and by your own logic, evil will still defeat good eventually. And the cycle will continue. Evil will always beat good."
"In my point of view, good will always beat evil!" Inkay was surprised at how determined Cyndaquil said that.
"You are one determined little dreamer, aren't you?" He said with just a hint of sarcasm, pointing at the bag full of letters the pokémon carried. "Why do you walk miles to deliver those letters?"
"O-Oh. You actually saw that…" Eagan blushed, looking away. "Where I live, w-we don't have a mailbox or post o-or anything. So I have to go to town to… you know."
"Hm. That is not what I asked." The Inkay shook his head, "I don't want to know why you gotta walk there. I want to know why you bother."
"W-Well… I just…" He was about to think of something, but silenced his own mind knowing the telepath could hear. "I want to… get a job. And get money… that's it."
The Inkay stared at him with narrowed eyes, but let it go. For now. "Sure. That is fair, I guess. In any case."
He stared at his tentacle-arms once more, "Thank you. The conversation helped. I no longer feel… that distressed."
"Oh! Y-You're welcome. I… you look like you needed someone." Eagan said, trying not to sound too corny, but his mind soon betrayed him. "And I know very well how it feels when no one is there for you."
That caused the Inkay to frown.
"I did need it." He sighed, "but please, do carry on now. I would hate for you to waste any more time with me."
Eagan once more tilted his head, "huh?"
"You have helped me enough. I'll take it from here." To appear more confident, he tried to stand up, only to fall face-first once the ground once more, since he did not have legs. "I just require… some time."
"... You really aren't kidding." Eagan said, matter-of-factly. "If you were trying to pull a trick or just acting crazy for attention… you wouldn't dismiss me like that."
"Of course not. What would I possibly have to gain by-"
"There the loser is!"
"It will be so easy to get 'em!"
Two voices he didn't know suddenly appeared in his mind.
"3… 2… 1…!"
"Get down!" The Inkay wrapped his tentacles around the Cyndaquil, and pushed him, making the fire-type drop his bag.
Eagan shook his head, and saw a sleeping Inkay. Looks like he was hit by a Sleep Powder. That meant… "Oh no…"
From behind him, two much bigger pokémon approached, smirking at the duo.
"What have we here? Ya made a new friend, loser?" Smirked a Mankey.
"Maybe that's his boyfriend. He seems like the freak-type!" Giggled a Weepinbell.
"Oh not these two… I was trying to avoid them… but helping this Inkay must have made them catch up…" The Inkay heard, coming from Eagan's mind. Even whilst sleeping, he could see and hear things from the Cyndaquil's perspective, but was unable to do much else.
Eagan got up and opened his mouth to speak, only to be received by a Mach Punch in the face and fall back down.
"By Arceus you're a wimp." Laughed the Mankey.
"Hey dude. Check this out." Weepinbell pulled a letter from his bag, with a special symbol on it. The poisonous plant made sure to tear the bag. "By the looks of it, our friend has been accepted at last!"
"R-Really!?" He sniffed, his eyes glimmering."I was waiting to read them at home with mom…"
"Y-Y-Y-Yup. A-A-A-And guess w-w-what! We're keeping it!" Mankey laughed at his own joke, "we'll just tell 'em you were too much of a wimp for the job."
The grass-type laughed along, "We'll make better recruits than you anyway!"
"See ya around, loser! Maybe your boyfriend will console you!" Mankey waved, throwing the fire-type's ruined bag back at him, whilst going towards a cave in the distance, alongside his cohort, who slapped the sleeping squid in the face, for no particular reason.
"W-Wait!" He tried to run after then, but stopped. "Inkay!"
He turned around, seeing the squid still sleeping even after getting Vine-Whipped.
"I gotta hurry! If I want to have any chance at getting that letter back, I have to reach them…" His closed eyes squinted, staring at the dark and psychic type. "But I can't leave him alone… I… I just can't. He can't even float… if other outlaws get to him…"
As if on cue, a loud thunder came from above. Thunderbolts falling down and hitting a few trees in the distance, heralding a downpour soon to come. "Curses! He will get hurt! I need to help!"
NO! Go after them you fool, I'll manage on my own! Just leave me! The Inkay tried to shout, knowing all too well he couldn't make a noise. Your dream is running away from you, and you want to turn back to help some guy you just met? Don't be stupid!
"I'll… I'll live with it. I can live with letting them go, I can't with turning my back to someone like this. No matter how… strange they are." The Cyndaquil picked up the snoring squid, running away deeper in the forest, to somewhere where they can both hopefully be safe from the approaching storm.
He would not admit it, but this act of sheer stupidity, even if it irritated him on a primal level… made the nameless Inkay feel that something warm in his chest again. This time it was surely his, and he knew its name.
Comfort. He felt comforted by this stranger, who had no reason to be this kind nor this huggy, but still did.
He saw the world through Eagan's eyes, seeing him carrying his fainted body alongside what was left of his bag. He couldn't help but remember how tirelessly he fought, despite how miserably incompetent he was at it.
First thing I'll do after waking up is get that damn letter back. You can count on it, you dolt.