Note 1 - when you don't know a pokemon's given name, you can refer to them with their species name instead, but it's usually considered impersonal or distant.

Note 2 - Sinnoh is geographically quite close to Galar in this world, so Hisuian forms are considered the standard forms here. For example, if someone refers to an arcanine without mentioning which kind, assume they mean Hisuian unless they specify a Kantoan arcanine.

A hunter stalked his prey.

He trailed a few feet behind the pokemon and steadied his breathing. His pulse slowed down, and his pupils dilated to fill his eyes. They'd never sense him coming. His stealth was perfect. Adrenaline spiked, and he coiled like a spring. Sickly-sweet poison surged through his veins. The world slowed down. He grinned a smile full of sharp teeth, and pounced for the food in the treasure bag.

Nagizora Duraludon easily swatted him away without looking back. "Still no."

The hit knocked Sneasel back to reality, tumbling over himself on the dirt road before he rolled over his shoulder back up to his feet with a flourish. By the time he was upright, he was just a kid again. "Come on!" he protested. "It's been hours since we had breakfast!"

"We can eat at the next stop," Nagi chided him, adjusting the bag on his back. "But I didn't know I'd be splitting meals with a tagalong when I packed for patrol this morning, so for now, no snacking."

"Some ranger you are," Sneasel huffed. "A helpless, harmless youth, lost and alone, with no memories and nowhere to go, begging for help, and all you do is rebuke him so cruelly. Aren'tcha supposed to be professional and stuff?" His speech lilted and bounced, like he was testing out different ways to talk.

"I'm professionally warning you that if you swipe at our rations again, I'll put you right back unconscious and lug you to Hammerlocke like a sack of cheri berries."

"Does that mean if I pretend to be knocked out, I don't have to walk?" Sneasel suggested hopefully.

"Try it and find out." The older boy gave a draconic snort, like steam escaping from between his metal plates.

"…On second thought, I'll walk."

Nagi nodded and motioned for Sneasel to follow. "Then let's pick it up. I have to be at the tower scout post by noon. Once I'm done with my patrol route, I can take you down to Hammerlocke and figure out… what to do with you."

"Confidence kinda sputtered at the end, there."

"You're a fringe case!"

"You don't have a protocol for finding mysterious amnesiacs in the wilderness?" Sneasel giggled.

Nagi stifled a laugh to keep his steely demeanor, which Sneasel took as a win. Maybe there was a normal guy under all that scary-monster-exterior after all. "This is a first for me," he admitted. "Ferrying a feral weasel wasn't in the final."

"Rude. I prefer 'enigmatic ingénue.'"

"We'll average it out to 'weird kid.'"

"Deal."

Southern Route 10 sprawled out around them, lush and vibrant. The road wound through trees and hills, so every time they rounded a bend or crested a hill, Sneasel saw more of the landscape, and began to piece together a mental map of his surroundings - most important, civilization to the south. It was safest to stay with Nagi while he finished his patrol route, though the ranger had given clear instructions that if they were separated for whatever reason, Sneasel should head straight south until he found Hammerlocke. Sneasel chafed at being given direct orders by a stranger (and if his guess was right, a teenager), but he figured he didn't have many other options.

While an impish, frustrated part of his mind was still stuck on the thought of lunchtime, a more practical part of his mind spun its wheels and kept coming back to the biggest questions over and over. Where was he? Why was he there? Who was he? Questions like those demanded answers, and he was coming up empty-handed.

He didn't know things about himself, but he did know things. Some things, like language and motor functions, came easy enough. Other things took a moment, like species names.

Sneasel. Duraludon. Sneasel. Duraludon, he recited to himself, rolling the words in his mouth to get familiar with them. Still, a lot of things brought up blanks no matter how much he searched his mind.

Right now, he knew his best shot at covering his basic needs was his scrap heap chaperone. When Nagi first found him by that tree and woke him up, Sneasel was still pretty disoriented, so a lot of early information went in his ear and out his feather. This world was still a mystery to him, and a 'ranger' was clearly some sort of authority figure of the nearby city (Hammerlocke, Nagi had called it. Civilization was a good sign). Sticking to the guy like honey was the first step to ensuring a roof over his head - at least, he hoped.

He shifted his focus from his mind to his body. Moving around felt good, as long as he didn't think about it too hard and tangle himself up. He was unsteady when he had first tried walking, but after only a couple hours of trial-and-error, he was getting the hang of it. His front limbs were longer than the back, so he could seamlessly transition between walking on two legs or four, and some testing proved that he had a nub of a tail, with feathers like the one on his ear. He licked his lips - something tasted sweet on the back of his tongue. Weird, but welcome. As far as bodies went, he figured this was a pretty lucky outcome.

Though he wouldn't have minded being a little taller. Sneasel squinted through the sun up at the duraludon next to (above) him, a hulking reptilian biped with scales like plate armor. Nagi was lighter on his feet than Sneasel had expected. Instead of crashing or clanging, his footsteps on the dirt road were a constant plodding, like a heartbeat.

Sneasel also noticed a piece of white cloth around Nagi's neck. Too long for a bandana, more like a scarf. The fabric was completely clean, but the ends were frayed and ragged.

Nagi shifted uncomfortably. "Quit looking at me like that."

Beady, oversized eyes stared back at him, unblinking. "Like what?" Sneasel asked innocently.

Nagi shuddered. "Like that - ! Oh, forget it. What is it?"

Sneasel hummed to himself as he rose up to his toes, absentmindedly batting at the scarf like a ball of yarn. "What's the deal with your bib? It's awful pretty."

Nagi pulled it out of his reach, affronted. "It's not a bib. This is a ranger sash! It's an incredibly important symbol that took years of training to earn - "

"It took years to get, and you don't even take care of the ends?" Sneasel looked at the 'ranger sash' dubiously.

The metal face made it hard to tell, but Sneasel thought Nagi was furrowing his brow. "What? No, this is what all ranger sashes do. They're made from dungeon materials, so they resonate with aura. The frayed ends are just how mine manifests."

That was too many unfamiliar words at once for Sneasel, so he just nodded. "I'll take your word for it." His head spun from all the new information - he didn't even know what questions to ask first. Something about the word aura in particular felt significant, and his hind legs tingled. That sweet, fuzzy feeling from his tongue had moved to his limbs, and one of his paws felt heavy.

When he tried to take another step, it stuck to the ground, and he faceplanted hard into the road with a thud.

Nagizora hurried down next to him. "Woah - watch your paws, kid. Are you alright?"

"What the heck was that?!" Sneasel complained, springing from prone straight to his feet. He could feel how nimble this body was, but he somehow tripped on solid ground. Maybe his coordination just needed some more practice. He quickly scanned the path for rocks or roots, and saw nothing. He was certain that he didn't plain fall over his feet, so what happened? For a split second, it felt like his paw had been glued to the road. Did his leg buckle?

Nagi's voice lost some of its harshness. "Look, Sneasel, it's not the end of the world if I have to cut my rounds short. If you're not up for all this travel, we can go straight down to the city and get you to a professional - "

"Aww, stuff it. I'm just new to this, not new-born. Probably." Sneasel waved him off - nothing was hurt but his pride. "Four left feet, that's all." Secretly, a paranoid, pragmatic part of him wanted to stall out here in the sticks as long as he could. A bustling city could be a death trap if he went in totally blind, and once he could properly handle this body and this world, he'd have a better chance. He'd happily pick being hungry over being trapped.

Nagi didn't look convinced, but he nodded. "If you're sure. Just… don't be dumb, okay? Pokemon bodies are tough, but safety isn't something to play around with."

The offer actually made Sneasel feel a little warmer - the big lug wasn't all rules and scolding after all. He knew he should quit while he was ahead, but a nagging itch convinced him to push his luck.

Sneasel put on the most pathetic look he could muster. "I mean, if you're offering…"

"We're not eating lunch early."

"You didn't even let me finish!" he groaned. So much for bonding. "Ugh, nevermind. Can you at least call me something other than Sneasel?"

Nagi looked baffled. "You want me to give you a name? Shouldn't you come up with that yourself?"

"I mean, when you think about it, most people don't choose their own names to begin with," he pointed out. "Besides, I don't know what's normal here and what isn't, and I don't wanna stand out any more than I already will."

Nagi shuffled his feet. "I'm, uh, not really good at coming up with names…"

"It doesn't have to be a good one, just pick something - "

"Don't rush me, kid, I'm thinking - "

" - common and easy, it's not like I know any names you guys use - "

" - and putting me on the spot isn't gonna help - !"

" - so just give me a spare one for now, and I'll change it later - !"

'Fine!" Nagi exclaimed, frustrated. "Kris, then. Your name is Kris now. Congratulations. Happy?"

The sneasel nodded, letting the name settle on his shoulders. One step closer to being a person. "…Okay. Kris. I can work with that."

"Good." Nagi looked sheepish, almost embarrassed. Before 'Kris' could ask where the name came from, Nagi turned back to the road and started a brisk hiking pace, trying to move on. "Now let's get going already. First one to the scout post gets the better half of the sandwich."

"Wha- no fair! Your legs are too long!" Kris protested, scrambling after him towards the wooden tower down the road.

Thanks to everyone who submitted characters! Most of the main cast is now set, but feel free to PM me about an idea if you still want to submit someone, since I might get to use more submissions later.

Next time, we get some ranger stuff and hopefully some action from Nagi. Thanks for reading!