CHAPTER FOUR:
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
-Udon-
Well, getting a job was a lot easier than we had expected.
I guess they needed all the help they could get at the restaurant, so we were pretty much hired as dishwashers on the spot. No questions asked.
When we got to the kitchen, however, we realized why they were so insistent on hiring us.
But, a job's a job, so we decided to suck it up and just do it. Besides, we were both getting paid around 1,500 Pokédollars an hour, which we guessed was close to $15 in American currency.
After our shift, we managed to get just enough money for a place to stay for the night. We would both share a room, since we figured rooms in the city might cost a pretty penny.
Leaving the restaurant, Ruffles and I were greeted to the sight of nighttime. The moon was full, casting a light on the city streets that were already bright to begin with. There were still plenty of Pokémon out, most likely getting home from work, or just enjoying the nightlife.
"How long will it take to get to a place to stay?" Ruffles asked.
Now that it was night, he was starting to get scared again. I couldn't blame him, being in a large city after dark.
"Not long," I answered, even though I pretty much knew everything about the city that he did, which was not much.
As we walked through the streets of Talardi, Ruffles mostly kept his head down. I couldn't help but look around me at all of the different Pokémon.
Suddenly, I could hear a voice, cutting through the darkness.
"You're not from around here, are you?" it said, its voice feminine, but raspy.
We both turned to look. It was coming from an alleyway. It was a yellow creature, with a ruff of white fur around its neck. It was holding some kind of pendulum.
Ruffles backed away quickly, hiding behind me. I almost ran, but tried to hear the creature out.
"Ye…yeah, I guess so," I managed to say. "We're sort-of new to the city."
The creature laughed. "I'm not talking about that," She said. "I know who you used to be."
My heart sank inside my chest. Did this thing know we used to be human?
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said back. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Seer. I'm what, you would call, a Hypno."
A Hypno? Was that the name of her species? As scared as I was, I needed answers.
"Oh relax, I'm not gonna hurt you," Seer said. "I work right over there, as a fortune teller."
She pointed to the building across the street. Sure enough, it was a fortune teller's.
Ruffles peeked out from behind me. "Are you sure?" He asked. "Are you sure we can trust you?"
Seer laughed, which turned into a cough. "Of course," she answered. "Why would I have my own shop if I was trying to kill you?"
I mean, it did make sense.
"Then, why are you in the alley, scaring us like that?" Ruffles asked.
"Because, it's good for business," Seer responded. "Now, come, I can tell you more about this world, and what exactly you are."
Ruffles and I were still scared, but I could tell that we could learn a lot from Seer.
"What do you say?" I asked Ruffles. "You wanna know what you are?"
He paused for a second.
"I guess," he shrugged. "I still don't think I can trust her though."
Seer looked at Ruffles, and grinned. "Come on," she said. "I could've killed you already if I wanted to."
That certainly didn't make Ruffles any less scared.
"Yeah, fine, we'll go. But if we get murdered, it's your fault," he said, pointing at me.
-Ruffles-
Udon and I walked into the fortune teller's. I was still behind Udon, trembling in fear. I had never been in one of these places, and it definitely looked like a place I would die in.
Large dreamcatchers hung from the ceiling, as well as paper lamps. The place was also cluttered with things I didn't even know existed before now.
Seer was an interesting Pokémon. She walked with a sort of limp, and talked like she smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.
"Does this world even have cigarettes?" I thought.
She led us into a room in the back, with a small, round table. The table had a big crystal ball on it. Classic psychic stuff.
"Now, sit," she said.
There were three chairs in front of the table. Udon tried to sit down on one, but, due to his large tail, and his overall size, he couldn't fit.
"I'll just sit on the floor," he said, a little embarrassed.
As we took our seats, Seer's crystal ball began to glow slightly.
"Well, then," Seer said. "I'm guessing you two would like to know what kind of Pokémon you are."
I was still afraid, but part of me was intrigued. I would finally figure out more about my new body.
"You," she said, pointing at Udon. "You are what is known as a Dragonite."
A Dragonite. The name seemed a little on-the-nose. I mean, he was a dragon.
As she talked, inside the crystal ball, a picture of a Dragonite formed. It looked exactly like Udon.
"Dragonite are fairly rare Pokémon," Seer continued. "They help lost sailors find their way home. They also can fly across the globe in, at least, sixteen hours."
"That's pretty fast," I thought. "Isn't that, like, faster than the speed of sound?"
"Although, something about you tells me you don't like the idea of flying," Seer said. "Isn't that true?"
Udon looked confused. "How- how did you know that?" he asked.
"I can see all, remember?" Seer said back, her crystal ball now showing Udon in the forest, trying to fly, and failing.
I was going to ask Udon, back in the valley, why he didn't just fly us out of there. Now I knew the answer. He was scared to.
"Wait, how did you…?" He started to ask.
"Let's just say, it's magic," Seer interrupted.
This was starting to get creepy.
"Now, you," she said, pointing at me. "You are a Lycanroc. Well, I guess, the Midnight form of a Lycanroc."
A picture of my species began to appear in the crystal ball. It was like looking at myself from someone else's perspective.
"Midnight Form Lycanroc are known to be quite reckless, with a furious temper," Seer explained. "They love the heat of battle, and are ready for any opponent who comes by."
How could that be? She was describing the exact opposite of me. Looking in the crystal ball, I could tell why Udon was so scared when he first met me. The appearance of the Pokémon was almost spine-chilling.
"But that's obviously not the case for you," Seer said to me. "You seem scared, as I saw when I first met you two."
"So, wait," I said. "Why, exactly, were we turned into these Pokémon, and not ones that match our personalities better?"
"Good question," Seer said. "But, I do not know the answers to everything. All I can say is, there's probably a reason why you two were chosen to be what you are."
I was left with a lot more questions than answers.
"Do you at least know how we got here?" Udon asked.
Seer grinned. "I am not sure," she said. "The world works in mysterious ways. I am only here to guide those who do not know themselves."
"Yeah, that makes sense," I thought.
"Well, now that you know who you are, I shall let you leave," Seer said, the picture in the crystal ball fading away.
"So, that's it?" Udon asked. "You can't tell us any more?"
"I already told you," Seer responded. "This is all that I know."
Udon and I looked at each other. We both had the same confused expression.
"Now, I believe there's the matter of payment," Seer said.
We both turned to face her. Payment? We barely had any money for a room anywhere. How were we supposed to pay her?
"I'm just messing with you," she said, laughing. "It's on the house, at least, this time it is."
We sighed, relieved that we weren't gonna become broke.
"If you ever want to come back here, for whatever reason, I will charge you though," Seer said.
"That's okay," I said. "I kinda doubt we're gonna come back anyways."
Seer smirked. She wasn't as bad as I had initially thought.
After walking out, Udon and I both looked at each other again.
"So, you're a Dragonite?" I asked Udon. "That's kinda cool."
"Yeah, I guess. It would be better if I could have the courage to fly," he said back. "But let's not forget about you, mister Midnight Lycanroc, lover of the art of battle."
I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess whoever, or whatever, sent us here has a good sense of humor."
We walked around the well-lit city, and, before we knew it, we reached a small inn. The sign at the front said they had vacancy, so we figured that would be a good place to try.
The rooms weren't that expensive, but they weren't cheap either. If we wanted to stay here for a little while, we needed to work our butts off.
Finally walking into our room, I laid down on my bed. It felt great finally laying on something that wasn't just grass.
Udon's bed was, thankfully, strong enough for him to sleep on without breaking it, and big enough so he didn't fall off.
This was certainly the life.
Before we turned off the light, though, I had to say something.
"Udon," I said. "Back there, with Seer. You seemed very brave."
"Well, to be honest, I was terrified," he said back. "I was just trying to be brave for you."
"I'm sorry I'm so scared all the time," I said. "I just…"
"Hey, you don't have to apologize," Udon interrupted. "I know you've been through a lot. It's okay to be scared sometimes. But you were brave enough to get a job today, and you were brave enough to talk to Seer. I think you're more fearless than you think."
What he just said made me happy.
"Thanks, pal," I said. "See you in the morning."
"Okay," he said. "Good night."
Maybe Udon was right, maybe I could really do this. Maybe I was fearless.
Putting my head on the pillow, I fell fast asleep, knowing that whatever were to come tomorrow, I could do it.
