Never thought i would write a story this long, ive only ever done very shory stories in yhr past. if you have read up to here and are willing yo leave you thoughts on my story i would really appreciate it. :) cant get better without knowing my faults. with that out of the way it back to the story!
Chapter 11:Humans, Tours and lunch!
Alex
I'm so happy to see Flame doing well and with a nod from Rosaline I fill her in on what she missed.
"Wow… wait so you were a pokemon first, then a human and now back to being a pokemon? How does that happen? I've only heard of a few species that can shape shift like that and neither of your forms are one." Flame says with her head tilted.
"I have no idea, apparently my brain has been through a blender and I've forgotten nine years of my life like it was nothing. Uh I'm getting such a headache…" I groan.
"I think it's better if we take a break from trying to bring up memories for now. You have already made progress but we don't want to cause you any pain. We can continue tonight if you would like." Rosaline says.
"Ok, that might be best. I feel like the memories are there if i just reach for them hard enough but the more i do the worse this headache gets." I say.
"May i ask a question about the other humans? Once they completed their quest and the world was saved what happened to them? Did they return to the human world or did they stay in this one as a pokemon? If Alex is really here to save the world but was originally a pokemon what will happen to him when we are done?" Flame asks
"Well three of the humans were sent back to the human world after their jobs were done. One was named Zack the mudkip, who after saving the world from a meteor was sent back to the human world. He ended up being returned here due to the deep heartfelt wishes of his friends and his picachu partner. Another is Jeremey the charmander who not only came from the human world but also from the future. In the end him completing his quest ended up erasing himself from history. As a thank you to him and his Shinx partner the legendary of time Dialga brought him back to life. He is still alive and if ive heard correctly is a guildmaster of his own exploration guild.
"Wow… you said there were four humans though, what happened to the other two?" I ask
"Patience young one i, getting to them… just one of these humans was very dear to me. Ok the third human that was brought here is the Axew named Scott, he was brought here to deal with an ice spirit that was intent on freezing the world solid. After he was done the spirit of life forced him to return to the human world. His friends were supposed to lose their memories of him but they retained them. They managed to convince the spirit of life to help them and they made a wish at a special cave. There Scott was given the choice to come back, he did and the spirit of life gave him another gift. He was given the power to travel between our world and his whenever he liked."
"Thats possible? How?" Amber asked
Many things are possible in this world, some defy belief. The last pokemon… is my dear friend John the Growlithe. We were raised together as neighbors and friends in Serene village. We quickly grew close and ran away to create our own expedition team. Throughout our journey to map the world we uncovered a danger to the world itself. We discovered an entity calling itself The Darkness was working behind the scenes to bring down our civilization. Of course we couldn't stand back and watch, so we began to grow in strength as well as numbers, eventually coming in direct confrontation with the creature. We succeeded in beating the creature and John, myself and our new teammate Aurora the Mew continued our expeditions. John unfortunately has been missing for nearly ten years and with Aurora traveling the world seeking him our team disbanded.
"If i was really a pokemon to begin with does that mean ill be staying here?" i ask
"Knowing Cressalia she will likely either give you a choice as to whethere to return or not. If this is the case, may I ask what you will do?" Rosaline asks
"I… with Flame here there is not really anything for me in the human world. I was recently placed with a new foster family but i doubt it would matter much if i never returned… if given the choice im going to stay here… if you would have me of course." I say nervously.
"Are you kidding Alex, if you got sent back to the human world we would find a way to drag you back if we had to. Right mom?" Liz asks with determination on her voice
" That is right liz, you are my child and their brother Alex. You're our family and we would do anything to have you stay here with us. We love you, never forget that." she says, her voice going stern at the end. I begin to ask another question when my stomach chooses to voice its need. Everyone begins to look at me then as one burst out laughing
"Alex… sounds like you have a snorlax in there…" Amber laughs
"I… haven't had anything to eat since yesterday morning… when i was still human. Would it be possible to get something to eat?'' I ask just now, realizing just how hungry I am.
"Of course, do you feel like you can stand or should we go get you something?" rosaline asks
"Um… let me try standing, my muscles feel like they are made out of stone." I say and as Rosaline uncurles herself from around me I stand shakily. Remembering falling on my face yesterday i stand on all fours instead of two legs. "This is going to take some getting used to, as a human i walked on two legs…" I say trying to focus on staying upright.
"Wait, what's a human look like anyways?" Amber asks
"They look kind of like the machoke brothers Rod and Todd but with a flatter muzzle. They don't have any fur except on top of their heads so they seem to wear cloth to cover most of their body." Rosaline explains to my surprise
"Wait, you were one of these humans?Does that mean you are having to relearn how to be a growlithe?" Liz says with concern in her voice
"Yea… before you found me i tried standing on two legs. I ended up falling flat on my face. How do you walk with four legs without tripping on yourself?" i ask. The twins laugh, probably at the image of me faceplanting.
"Just take it one step at a time, try not to think too hard about it. Let your body guide you, it knows what it is doing." Rosaline says and I do as she says. As I walk the movement almost starts to feel natural.
"That's it you've got it Alex!" Amber says from the side.
"Yea… this isn't as bad as I thought. Now that i'm on my feet it almost feels like ive been born to move like this?" I say feeling my confidence increase.
"That's because you were! Your body is remembering itself, i believe the longer you are in this form the stronger you will be." Rosaline explains while walking behind me. For some reason her being so close gives me a sense of security.
"So where are we going?" I ask, leaving the room I had been sleeping in.
"Follow us, we will have to travel through part of the village to get to the Charizard Cafe." Amber says as she moves ahead of me. I can tell she is keeping her pace slow in order to not get too far ahead of me. A fact I appreciate as i still feel like i'm petrified. Liz walks up next to me and gently bumps my side.
"Let's get you some food before you eat one of us." She laughs and moves ahead to walk next to Amber. We get to a large wooden door and as I watch the door handle glows purple and pushes open. This allows the sounds and scents from outside to assail me anew, almost knocking me on my tail.
"Whoa, that's alot at once… how do you filter all of this out?" I say feeling my head pound again.
"Deep breaths Alex, you're ok. Take a minute and just let everything flow through you. As you grow accustomed to your senses your body and mind should adapt allowing you to filter through them and pick individual sounds and smells to focus on." Rosaline says from behind me. Doing as she suggests I move out the door and sit as soon as I'm clear just letting the loud chorus and the perfume of the world roll over me. Just like she said, things begin to feel less intense and quiet down to a low roar.
"I… think I'm ok now, that was just so much at once. This is just so different then my human body…" I say standing back up. " Ok where to next?"
"We will cut through the market district, that will be the quickest way to the cafe and allow you to see some of the town." Liz says, leading us off the steps of the clinic and into what I can only assume is the village proper. As we move we begin to see more pokemon, some I recognize like kadabra and a combustkin and some that I have no idea what they are.
"Over there is the kangaskhan bank, the matron there will store whatever you need and keep your extra supplies safe. Her services are free for guild members" Amber says as we pass a brick building with an open store front. At the counter i can indeed see a large brown pokemon with small horns with a baby sticking its head out of the pouch on her belly. We walk by with the sisters giving the mother a wave as we pass. I am so distracted by all of the new sights and sounds that I walk face first into another pokemon.
"Hey watch where you're going!" the pokemon growls as it turns around revealing a marowak, with a bone raised and ready to strike.
"Hey Jacob hows it going?" Liz says as bubbly as ever. As she puts herself between us.
"It's going alright, just decided i needed to do some shopping, so who is this that headbutted me?" he says, giving me a quizzical expression.
"You remember us bringing a pokemon back from serenity forest? We are just showing him around and taking him to the cafe." Liz says
"Ah, sorry to snap at you kid it's just been a long day. The names Jacob I run the dojo in town, if you ever want to train up your skills a bit make sure to stop by, first lesson is on the house." the pokemon says and continues on his way with a wave.
"Nice guy but he can be a little high strung at times." Amber whispers and I can see Liz nod in agreement as we continue. I try to pay more attention to where I am going but everything is just so…new. Every building is either wood or brick and both types sport a large amount of crystal decorations as well as large windows, sometimes taking up an entire wall. We begin to pass pokemon sitting next to blankets with various objects on them.
"Welcome to market street, anything you can want or need you can likely find here. And look over there, see that large stall stand with the wagon behind it? That is the kecleon brothers store, they and their kin set up shop in most towns and provide essentials at a decent price." Rosaline says behind us. I look to where she indicates and i see two lizard pokemon haggling prices with a tyrogue. As i watch one of them change colors from a vibrant green to a happy pink.
"Huh… that's new. I don't think I have seen that kind of pokemon before." I say finding myself watching the shop keeps. Amber bumps me in the side and snickers.
"Alex it's not appropriate to stare, especially since if you offend them you won't get a discount." she says as she continues on. after a few seconds more of watching the strange Pokemon one of their bizarre eyes twirls in its socket to focus on me. I recoil slightly at the way it is starring at me then quickly move to catch up to the twins. We must be getting close to this Cafe because the scent of food is becoming overwhelming. We take one last turn and i stop stunned at the sight. A large building sits in the middle of a large clearing. The building is brick like many of the buildings around us but this one has been decorated to the extreme. Branching out at various angles are crystals that are clearly meant to represent fire. The building appears to be designed to look like a Charizard head and the entrance is its roaring mouth. on each side of the entrance are large grills with pokemon tending to them. We move to enter the building with the thought of a large meal ahead of us when i suddenly stop
"Do… have i been here before?" I ask as my head begins to pound. I stumble and nearly fall but someone has gently caught me. My vision blurs and I begin to see a crumb covered countertop.
"Here you go sweetie fresh out of the oven. This will give you energy to keep up with those wild sisters of yours." I hear a elderly voice say and a light orange claw pushes a pastry at me.
"Thank you miss Charlotte, i just can't get enough of your sitrus berry poffins!" i hear a voice say. With a sense of shock i realize it has to be me when i was younger. Another scene comes into the forefront of my mind. I see a table completely covered with pastries and a cake in the center with seven candles. I'm trying to wrap my head around what i'm seeing when it begins to fade and the world around me comes back into focus.
"Alex, thank arceus. What happened? Are you alright sweetie? "Rosaline says with deep concern in her voice.
"I'm alright mom… I… think I was remembering something. I was sitting at a counter and someone named Charlotte was giving me something called a sitrus berry poffin. Does that mean anything to you guys?" I say still trying to regain my bearings. I look to see everyone staring at me stunned. "What… did i say something wrong?" I ask still confused
"You… called me mom…" Rosaline says with tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. My brain seizes and i find I'm surprised myself, i didnt even realize i had said that. It was almost like it came automatically. As I turn it over in my head, calling her mom almost feels right. Like I've done it all my life and it's only natural. Am I starting to remember more than I realize? Wait what happens to me if I get all of my old memories back? Will the current me just cease to exist? I am close to panicking when Rosaline gently pulls me into a hug.
"Shhh… it's ok, take a deep breath in… then out…in… and out…" I do as she says as I stare into her concerned gaze. "You're ok, you're safe, nothing will happen to you here. Would you like to go home and rest?" she continues.
Shaken but regaining my composure, I respond. "Im… ok i just thought of something that… scares me to death."
"What is it Alex?" Liz asks and I can see Flametail coming in and feel her lean into my side.
"What happens to me if… my memories fully return? Do I just… cease to be me? Will I get erased in favor of my old self?" i say while trying to remain calm.
"Alex my dear, i don't think you have anything to worry about. From the moment you opened your eyes i knew you were my son. The sweet boy i raised for nine years, the boy that is adventurous, loving and very protective. You are my son Alex and i know for a FACT that recovering your memories won't change who you really are because i can tell that even without them you are still the same. My son." she says
"How do you know for sure?" I Ask trying to keep myself calm
"I have learned a lot of the humans that have come here before and they remained the same even with their memories recovered. In fact, something like that even happened to me when I was very young. We will just be more careful to not over stimulate you, your mind is repairing itself faster than I could ever hope for. We just have to take it slower and maybe your mind will start making connections with less force." she explains quietly as i feel what i can only describe as an invisible hand gently rubbing my back.
"Thanks… Mom… I think I need that." i smile and i can see the effect calling her mom has on her as her face brightens and she hums happily "Do you think charlotte has any more of her poffins left" I ask, feeling my mouth begin to water. I feel an odd sensation from behind me and realize my tail is wagging. Wait I didn't make it move, do tails have a mind of their own?
"Alex, I think Liz and I can agree on this, we will buy all the poffins you can stand! Now move that tail and let's eat!" Amber says and runs into the restaurant
Rosaline
I am the happiest I have been in years. I managed to get the family a seat in a quiet room in the back of the restaurant.
I leave the kids to get acquainted and enjoy their treats as i sneak out to get the main meal. The girls are telling Alex about the time they froze his head fur into a large spike while he slept sending everyone into a fit of laughter .I reach the counter and flag over the old charizard that runs the joint.
"I can't believe it's Rosy, little Alex is back! He has gotten so big! "The old dragon says beaming in happiness for her friend
"I still can't believe it myself but it's really him! He has already called me mom not once but twice! I thought it would be months before he recovered even that much." i say trying to hold back more tears of happiness
"Oh sweetie, you should never underestimate the power of my cooking! That boy could probably eat me out of my entire supply if I let him" she says with a wink and a laugh. I can feel my tails wagging behind me. "Any idea what happened to him all those years ago?"
"Not yet and honestly i think finding that out can wait. For now the wards are stronger than they have ever been, we have the Warden herself in town and my son is finally home. I know it will have to be dealt with at some point but… not today.
"I understand dear, heres your order. Meal is on the house and tell Alex he can come by anytime for a chat and one of his favorite desserts" the old dragon says and with a wave she moves on to the next patron
" I will!" I say carying the tray with my mind and carefully moving towards the sound of laughter. It's been so long since i've heard the girls so happy. Things almost feel like they are back to normal after so very long. It frightens me to think that maybe this is just the calm before the storm…