CHAPTER FIVE:

LEGENDS COME TO LIGHT

-Udon-

The first few days of being in Talardi really just flew by.

Ruffles and I were pretty busy with our jobs at the restaurant, and didn't have much time to do anything else. I mean, part of it was good because we were keeping ourselves busy, and obviously getting paid was a big upside.

But it wasn't the best job in the world, and we were really only doing it to afford a place to stay.

One thing kept coming back to me while we were staying in the city, however, and that was the fact I was starting to get a lot more comfortable with being a Pokémon.

I could tell Ruffles was feeling the same way. He definitely seemed more content with being a Lycanroc than before. We sort of were getting used to the idea of staying this way forever.

But, we couldn't, right? We needed to get back at some point. I mean, what about our friends, or our family? Did they just sort-of forget that we existed?

On our day off, we had decided to explore the city a bit, as we never got a chance to see everything there.

Ruffles was a lot more used to city life. He didn't hide behind me, or look down at the ground like he did when we got here. He seemed braver somehow, which was good. I didn't like always being the brave one.

"Hey, look over there," I said, pointing to a street market. "Let's check it out."

It was a pretty big market, with a lot of vendors. It seemed like there was everything from food to crafts, with a bunch of other stuff in-between.

Our plan was to stock up on some food, and ask questions about the Pokémon world, since we still didn't know much.

"Wanna split up?" I asked. "We can get more done that way."

Ruffles nodded. Before, he would have never agreed to do anything like this, but now he seemed okay with being on his own.

"Sounds good," he said.

As we went our separate ways, I felt a little sad. I hadn't been alone since I got here. But, if Ruffles could be okay, I could too.

I walked around for a few minutes, gazing upon the nice, ripe berries for sale, and looking at some useless little knick-knacks. Nothing had really caught my eye.

That was until I saw something over at one of the accessory vendors.

It was a very stylish-looking mail bag, made of fine leather. It didn't look like anything from this world.

I walked up to the stand to look at it in more detail. It looked like it had gotten wet at some point, as it seemed a little ragged.
"Excuse me? Do you know how much this is?" I asked, pointing to the bag.

The vendor looked at me funny. Did I do something wrong?

"You know, I'm not really sure myself," he said gruffly. "It kinda just washed up on some beach."

Was this bag from another world, like myself? It seemed strange.

"I can give it to 'ya for 100 Pokédollars," he continued. "A bargain, if you ask me."

100 Pokédollars? It seemed like he just wanted to give it away.

"I can do that," I said, trying not to give up my poker face.

I handed the money over to him, and in return, I got my bag. Now we finally had something to put all of our belongings in, instead of just carrying them around.

"Hey," I heard, as I started to walk away.

I turned around to see someone else had come up to the vendor. It was a small, yellow Pokémon with a large tail that had a ball on the end of it. It also didn't have hands, and instead had flipper-looking appendages.

"Do you know where I can find some maps?" I heard him ask the vendor. "It's important."

"I don't know," the vendor responded. "Why's it so important?"

The look on the Pokémon's face turned sour.

"I just need it, that's all," he said.

Something told me this was gonna get ugly. I decided to keep my distance, as to not get involved.

"I have some maps behind the counter," the vendor said back. "But it's gonna cost 'ya a lot more than what you have."

I looked at the Pokémon's hands. He had only a few hundred Pokédollars on him. There was no way he was going to be able to afford it.

"Look mister," he said, raising his voice. "I've been through the freakin' wringer since I got here! I need to find the mountain, and soon."
The mountain? What was he talking about? Was he stoned or something?

"That's it," the vendor said. "You need to leave, now."

The Pokémon was pretty much as agitated as he could possibly get.

"You wanna fight me?" he said, putting up his flipper arms. "I'm a pretty good fighter. I know, like, 2 moves."

Forget what I said before. I needed to break this up fast.

"Woah, woah, woah," I interrupted. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"
"This guy won't sell me any maps," the Pokémon said. "I need to get home. It's an emergency."

I was confused. "What kind of emergency?" I asked.

"I'm not supposed to be here, that's all," he responded. "Now, leave me and this guy alone."

I sighed. He was clearly not going away without a fight.

"Look, I can't sell you any maps without proper payment," the vendor explained. "Maps are incredibly rare nowadays."

"I'll show you proper payment!" the Pokémon said, putting back up his hands.

"Hey!" I said. "I don't know why you need that map so much, but can't you just find this mountain on your own?"

The Pokémon turned to face me, its expression clearly angry. "If I could find the mountain on my own, I wouldn't be stuck like this!" he said, pointing to himself.

Wait. Was this another Pokémon like me and Ruffles?

If so, he seemed a lot more upset about the whole situation.

"Hey, uh, can I talk to you in private for a second?" I asked him.

"I guess so," he responded.

As we walked away, he glared back at the vendor. "This isn't over," he said to him.

We eventually got to a space where we could talk without anyone listening in on us. If he was what I thought, I didn't want to get him in more trouble than he was already in.

"Okay. What is it, hippo with wings?" he asked. That comment slightly hurt me.

"Uh…" I started. "I know this sounds insane, but were you once a human?"

The Pokémon stared at me in shock. "How did you know that?" he asked.

Now it all made sense. This Pokémon was acting out cause it was confused.

"Well, cause I was human too," I responded.

The Pokémon crossed its arms. "So, there's more like me?" He said. "Checks out."

It felt good to know there were more humans-turned-Pokémon out there. But this one was definitely a lot more, I don't know, mean than me or Ruffles.

"But, if you really were human, let me ask you a question," he continued. "Why did you stop me earlier from getting those maps? Do you not know about the legend of the Mountain of Mew?"

I stopped. I hadn't ever heard of it. Maybe cause I spent most of my time in a filthy kitchen.

"What's that?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Okay. I'll tell you," he said. "But do not tell anyone else about this, got it?"

I nodded. "Your secret's safe with me."

Then, I remembered Ruffles. I would probably have to tell him about this too.
"Actually," I said. "There is just one Pokémon I need to tell. He's my best friend. I don't think I could go without telling him."
The Pokémon sighed. "Fine," he said. "But that's it, okay. Just one person."

"Yes. I promise," I said back.

"So, long ago. There was a mythical Pokémon named Mew," he started. "This Pokémon was known for granting anyone's wish. The Pokémon around used to call it the Giver of Wishes. Until one day, the wrong wish came true, and it plunged the world into chaos and darkness."

This seemed a lot bigger than what I initially thought. It was almost something straight out of a fantasy novel.

"Now, Mew is hidden away on the top of a mountain. They say it was some form of self-exile. The only Pokémon that can get to it are the Pokémon who have the maps to find it," he continued. "That's why I needed the map back there. So I can find Mew and get back to being human."

I knew it was probably just a legend, but, if it wasn't, this could be our way back home.

"Well, now I gotta get back to business," the Pokémon said, turning to leave.

"Wait," I said. "We could do this together. You, me, and my friend, Ruffles. We could become human again. We just need to work as a team."
The Pokémon started to laugh. "What kind of a name is Ruffles?" he said, in-between chuckles.

"Look, you wanna get back home or not?" I asked.

"Fine," he said. "The name's Amp by the way."

"My name's Udon," I said back.

Amp started to laugh again. "Where did you two get your names from? The supermarket?" he asked.

I could tell he was gonna be a pain to work with.

-Ruffles-

Walking around, I noticed a few cool shops with stuff that you, probably, could not find in this world.

Things like necklaces and watches, or even the occasional bigger item like a stuffed animal.

Most of the items, however, were ruined by water damage, like they had washed up on a beach like I did.

As I made my way around the market, I stopped at one vendor in particular that had some very interesting stuff.

"No way!" I exclaimed, grabbing something off the table. It looked like some kind of music player.

"Still works, too," I heard. I looked up to see the Pokémon behind the counter. "It's loaded with all kinds of songs. Nothing I've heard of though."

I knew I had to get it.

"How much is it?" I asked.

"5,000 Pokédollars," He responded. "I mean, I have to charge extra cause it's still in great condition."

I could see his point. "Okay. I'll take it," I said, handing over the money.

Walking away, I couldn't stop thinking about what could be on there. Maybe it was all stuff from the human world. I didn't know for sure, but in my past life, I did like music. I was even in a band once. At least until it fell apart.

When I got back to the inn, I needed to check it out.

-Udon-

"Where could Ruffles be?" I thought.

It had been a while since we had decided to split up, and I wasn't exactly sure where he had gotten off to.

Just then, I saw in the distance, a Lycanroc wearing a new red plaid flannel.

Yeah, definitely Ruffles.

"That's him?" Amp asked.

"Yup," I answered, a little embarrassed. "That's him."

Ruffles waved, and then ran over.

"Oh man, I'm so glad to see you!" he said, his tail wagging. "I can't believe how cool this place was. Nice bag by the way."

He looked over at Amp, a confused expression on his face. "Who's this?" he asked.

"Amp's another Pokémon, you know, like us," I said, trying not to give away the fact we all used to be human.

"Really?" Ruffles asked, tail still wagging. "I can't believe it!"

"So, you're Ruffles?" Amp asked. "I guess it adds up."

I noticed it was starting to get later. The sun was beginning to set in the sky.

"We should probably get to the inn," I said.

Everyone agreed, and we starting walking back. It was a long day, and we all needed rest.

"Don't worry about paying for a room tonight," I told Amp. "We've got it covered for now. but in the morning, you've gotta find some kind of job."

"Got it," Amp said back.

Even though he wasn't exactly the same as me or Ruffles, Amp seemed like a decent Pokémon. Plus, the more of us we had, the more chance we would have to get back home.

Which is what truly mattered at this point.