"Sha?" I concernedly called to Rye for what seemed like the tenth time that day.
Dusk had fallen over the Guild, and ever since we had returned from registration, Rye had been sitting on his bed, alternating between absentmindedly sifting through the contents of our new bag and staring off into space, deep in thought. In response to my cry, he looked up at me, his eyes still slightly glazed over.
"S-sorry, Beck... it's just I can't believe this is actually happening..." he said. "I asked Team Apex if I could apprentice for them six moons ago. All I wanted was a chance at being on a team, and look at us now..."
Another moment of his contemplation passed before he snapped out of his stupor and put his new badge down, standing up for the first time in hours.
"Alright, Beck, h-how about we keep trying to get talking down?" he offered.
"B... shaaak."
"N-no, don't hesitate, uh, make the two sounds as quickly as you can."
"B-b-sheeaak."
"T-try again!"
"B-shak,"
"Again!"
"B-beehak..."
Stressed over my repeated failures and Rye's increasingly persistent method of teaching, I groaned, putting my head on my bed. I was considering burying myself under the bed's straw before I realized something.
'Wait... I did it?'
As if to affirm, a whoop sounded from Rye as he pumped his fist into the air. Grinning, I joined in his enthusiasm with a small dance.
"Y-you did it! We're only gonna get better from here, I think! Let's try something else now, alright?"
With that, he pulled out Team Apex's notebook, handing it over to me.
"J-just draw whatever you want to know about... er, y-you know, if you can, and I can try to explain it! Maybe you'll pick up on a couple words!"
'Something I want explained? About time...'
I decided to start by drawing a crude, bipedal figure that vaguely resembled a human.
"Sha?" I asked, gesturing to the picture. Rye looked slightly confused, but seemed to get what I was going for.
"That's a human, I think...? Y-yeah, they used to rule this continent a long time ago, and the legends say they used to live side-by-side by Pokémon. They could apparently work together to take the world around them and do what a thousand Pokémon working together could only dream of doing. Mr. Arcanine says the ruins we'll be seeing once we start exploring were mostly made by humans. Mr. Pike once told me those legends about them visiting the moon were true, but I don't think..."
He trailed off as I pulled a map out of our bag. The map depicted two large landmasses sticking out from the bottom framing a single large island. Among the sea of writing, I noticed a star, seemingly showing the Guild's location. I gestured to said map, making a questioning cry.
"Are you asking where they live? Uh, humans haven't existed on the Gray Continent for a while. Mr. Arcanine says it's been centuries since the last ones left," Rye asked. "W-why are you asking?"
…
'Might as well tell him now and get it over with...'
As Rye watched, I pointed to my drawing, then at myself, repeating the process a few times for good measure. Around the fifth time, Rye seemed to understand.
"...Beck... are you saying you're...?"
I nodded. A look of fear and uncertainty quickly took hold of Rye's face, much like the one he had been wearing when we had first met, though whether this was because he believed me or just thought me as insane was unclear. Before I could say anything further, a presence in the door made itself known. Ms. Audino, carrying our dinners, stepped in, mild concern on her face. I could tell she had seen our exchange, though it seemed neither of us wanted to push it.
As the nurse left and we silently sat down to eat, I couldn't help but avert my gaze from Rye. I couldn't look him in the eye, not when he clearly wasn't sure what to think of me. I could tell he needed a while to think. I just hoped that that moment wouldn't end with my only bond in this world breaking.
"Hrm..."
Pressing one of her feelers against my chest, Ms. Audino gave me an intent stare, only breaking it when she withdrew the thing from my chest.
"Your recovery is going as expected. The poison's been neutralized, though the damage to your organs is still too great to have you going about unchecked. All in all, I suppose it'll be another day before you can get back on your feet," she informed me. "Just continue as normal, Treecko here will keep you company until then."
I failed to hide my pained expression as Ms. Audino left the room. In the corner of the room, Rye gave me a wary look, jumping and averting his eyes when I looked to him.
"Sh-sha?" I asked, only getting a small grimace from Rye.
"I-I'm... just let me think, alright?" he asked. My face only growing more pitiful, I reached for the notebook and tried to pick it up.
"Sha..." I said. Rye stopped for a second, clenching his teeth.
"L-later," he said. Before I could try anything else, he turned his back to me, muttering to himself. I could only stare in his direction as he let out a shaky sigh and put his hands to his head.
'What have I done...?'
Rye didn't know what to do.
Six days had passed since he had accidentally stumbled upon Beck. Six days since he had made his first true rescue. Six days since he had met the first Pokémon willing to even consider him as a friend in a long time.
He had been nervous about the Oshawott at first, though once he had saved his life in Quinite Forest, he had concluded that the feral he now looked after would be a good partner, possibly even a good friend.
'Ha. There I go again, calling a feral of all things a friend. Isn't that pathetic? No wonder the other apprentices don't talk to me...'
Rye had been content once Guildmaster Arcanine himself had given the two his blessing. For the first time in years, he had been hopeful that he could begin to bury the past and finally look towards the future.
Then Beck had dropped the Blast Seed that he thought himself as a former human.
Rye had heard the stories: legends of the ancient race that once ruled this world, and those who would take on Pokémon form to save it. In a town like the one he had once called home, their legacy was hard to ignore; those same heroes had guided the world after their heroic deeds, leaving behind some of the core ideals of society. Although many dismissed the stories as mere myths, man was still respected, even feared among those Rye had known.
However, Rye had also heard the stories of those loose in the head, the normal Pokémon who were convinced they were human, the hundreds that had made a show of their apparent vision from a Legend and either ended up achieving nothing of their supposed grand goal or had gathered a following and led them to certain death in some dungeon.
Now, why Beck, a feral who would most likely have never heard of humans, would be one of them, he was unsure. Perhaps this was one of the tricks Pike had told him of?
"The only reason a feral will not immediately attack you is for the explicit purpose of lettin' your guard down. Do not fall for their shit, kid."
Beck was undeniably intelligent, something Rye was now unsure was a good thing. Perhaps this was a plot to take Ms. Audino's, nay, the Guild's supplies? Perhaps he was simply another pesky civilized 'mon that was to be left bleeding on the floor? Even now, could he drawing the weapon on his chest, rearing it back to gut him and-
His breathing now ragged, Rye snapped his head around. Beck still laid in his bed, looking at him pleadingly with his navy-blue eyes. Sighing in relief, Rye looked back towards the wall to keep thinking. What really nagged at Rye was that the possibility of Beck's humanity was more than zero. If he truly was what he claimed, then... what would that mean for him?
'Why me? Why would I be the one to help? There's a billion better Pokémon out there, why me?'
The more Rye thought, the more anxious he became. Eventually, he had to bury his contemplation in his mind, as he noticed he had done quite often in the past day. Not only did these thoughts simply stress him out no matter how he put them, they brought up painful memories of his childhood past.
'Dill was always so fascinated with humans...'
Biting back tears at the repressed memories, Rye stole another look at Beck. He didn't want this. Regardless of if Beck was a lunatic or a future hero, he didn't want this. Putting his hands on his head once more, Rye finally let the waterworks flow, quietly weeping as he tried to make sense of his situation. Through all of the paranoia and assumptions his overwhelmed mind mustered, he knew Beck only wanted someone to follow. He supposed that was the same for him, but he knew any confrontation would likely end in disaster. But he knew he would have to talk eventually...
'...aaugh! I've paid enough for what happened, what more did I do to deserve this?!'
"Easy, Beck, one step at a time," Ms. Audino cautioned me as I stumbled over myself, slowly ambling away from my straw bed. By this point, my wounds had healed to the point I could safely walk again. Steadying myself, I managed to make it to the other side of the room while she and Rye watched on. It had been two days since my confession to Rye, and true to Ms. Audino's word, it looked like all that was left from my near-death experience was a few ugly scars on my chest. Sure, I was excited to finally be walking again, but that was the least of my worries at the time.
In the day since Ms. Audino had last visited, things hadn't gotten any better. The few interactions we had were awkward and filled with paranoid looks; even his speech tutoring had taken a hit. I still learned a bit, but the energy was gone. Even if it got frustrating before, I'd at least have that frustration than whatever this was.
"It looks like you'll be able to walk unimpeded within a couple days' time. In that case, it seems my work here is done. You may leave tomorrow," Ms. Audino said.
"Sh-sha," I quietly thanked her.
As she left my room, I sighed, looking over at Rye. His face quickly shifted to that now-familiar uncomfortable look. A minute passed as he sifted through our bag, seemingly trying to occupy himself, much like he tended to do whenever I approached him now. Eventually, our gazes met.
"...w-what's up?" he asked slowly.
"Sha?" I questioned, a hint of sadness in my voice.
Rye shifted in his seat.
"...look, I-I'm not avoiding you, Beck. It's just..."
"Shaah?"
He turned to face me, his gaze darkening.
"I know what you're thinking. I just need another while to think. Just let me... agh..."
Rye's eye started twitching as I sat back down on my bed.
'Just say it. You don't trust me, you don't believe me, you're gonna throw me back into the river; whatever it is, just say it, please.'
"Sha, shaah..." I mumbled under my breath.
With that, Rye slammed his fist into the floor and quickly turned to face me.
"Look, just leave me alone for once, please!" he snapped.
A moment passed as he shakily panted, glaring at me.
"Sh-shrai..." I managed out. The Treecko's gaze softened at my attempted uttering of his name as I realized that I was trembling, my back pressed against the wall. As Rye seemingly began to recognize the extent of his outburst, I became vaguely aware of tears flowing down my face.
"B-Beck... I-I'm sorry, I..." Rye stammered out. He reached out to try to comfort me, but I winced back in response. Obviously hurt by this, he sat down and sighed.
"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't believe you, I don't think you'd have any reason to lie about something like that. It's just... it's been a lot to process, you know? Finding you, getting accepted into the Guild, you saying you're human... It's just... I-I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, but... uh..."
I relaxed a little, still wary of my partner. He just sat there for a while, occasionally mouthing to himself. Eventually, he seemed to muster up the courage to open up.
"I can't keep doing this. I mean, we're due to be sent out into the field once Team Apex gets through their mission in Bewilder Forest in a few days, a-and here I am burning bridges over this, of all things!" he said, giving a bitter chuckle.
"Sh-sha..." I stammered, only for Rye to hold his hand up as he turned to face me.
"I-it's time we set things right, okay? I've obviously been a terrible friend, and I feel like I at least owe you this. It doesn't matter if you're human or an Oshawott; from this point on, we're equals in this team: no more secrets or looking down on one another. From now on, we'll hold each other up: no 'mon gets left behind. From now on, no matter how ugly whatever's ahead looks, let's go together. What do you say, Beck?" he said, a sort of determined fire in his eyes. He looked at me hopefully as his spiel sank in.
'...I... did that really just come from Rye...?'
'...doesn't matter. If he's sincere, then let's do it.'
Wiping my moist face off, I pushed myself off the ground.
"Sha!" I cried affirmatively, much to Rye's joy. With a relieved laugh, he clapped me on my back. However, the next thing I knew, I was on the floor in a daze, Rye panicking over me.
"Sorry! F-forgot you're a water-type..."
As he reached down to help me up, he stopped when he noticed I had started chuckling (or as close to a chuckle I could make, at least). As he watched on, this escalated into full-blown laughter. Honestly, I hadn't actually had a good-natured interaction with Rye in two days, even this was good enough for me. Slowly, he joined me in my laughter, confusing many a passerby as we sat there on the floor, clutching each other and savoring the moment.
If this was the fresh start that Rye had promised, then I'd say it was a pretty good one. Still hurt, though.
Author's Note: Just dropping by to add a section to make the chapter feel more natural. I never really liked how I handled this section, so here's hoping this helps.