Lucian closed his eyes while still walking towards town. Just the whole thing that this Griff guy had told him… It was crazy!
"Your people… Worshiped a thing called the blinding one, right?" As he finished his question he opened his eyes again.
Griff looked at him confused.
"Yes? That's what I said. We worshiped then and still do now even if not in the same way."
Lucian tough how to say his next sentence… He did not want to be rude to Griff. He was cool! But he really wanted to understand something…
"Right. That change on how you worship it was because your people abused its power and made it go crazy."
The Poipole, if he correctly remembered the name, seemed to get embarrassed. He blushed a bit making his pink face seemingly become slightly blue on the cheeks.
"It's not that simple!"
"Maybe not but it is what I understood. Anyway… If it went mad… WHY ARE YOU ALL STILL WORSHIPING IT IF THE DAMN THING IS FREAKING LOONY!?" He screamed at the purple bug lizard.
"B-Because we will one day find a way to help them return to normal and then it will see we feel sorry for our actions and it will forgive us!" Griff said although Lucian could tell that even he was not fully sure of that, at least not when saying it out loud.
"Sure. Whatever. So, moving on… Let's see if I understood the other things correctly. When it went crazy… It ate the whole sun!?"
"Well yes but also, no? It ate the light of the sun but not the sun itself. It still brings warmth and everything just… No light. I mean it would have eaten the sun as a whole eventually yes but it was stopped before could do that!"
Lucian rolled his eyes at that.
"So, it only ate part of the sun. Yeah, that makes it much better…"
"I mean at least it did not eat all of it when it could have… Besides it's not that bad! Sure, there was confusion when it happened, but we adapted to it! We miss having a world with natural light but living in one without that t is not as bad as it sounds!" Griff said while doing with one of his arms, what Lucian assumed ,were bad attempts of doing gestures that needed human limbs .
"Look… I am happy that your people aren't in a bad spot even with that happening to you all. Really, I am! But you must admit… It was still a bad thing. Like… A village getting hit by a earthquake." He said while pointing at the poipole with the free arm. The other still serving as support so Griff did not fall again.
"That's…. a fair point…"
"Good that we agree on that!" He smiled and then noticed they were finally getting to the point of seeing Gentle Town ahead of them! But there were two figures he could see they were going towards as well… Two figures he knew quite well…
"Is that… Are those buildings the town where you are leading me towards? They are very different from what I am accustomed to." He said with those big eyes widening even more than usual.
"Yeah, it is but… See those two small figures getting bigger as we walk? Those two are two guards that I know… Well. Yeah, let us go with that. So… I need you to just follow along with what I say to them ok?"
"Are… Are these guards angry at you? Why? Is this a misunderstanding?"
"Look yes, they are angry at me but it's more in a … Annoyed way. Look don't worry too much they are just sort of protective of me because have family on the guard." Lucian explained hoping that for once the purple bug lizard would not ask any more questions.
"Oh… I see… Family… I wonder how that is like…" Griff mumbled to himself yet loud enough for Lucian to hear. Did… Did Griff not have a family? Well, guess he also had questions to make… Griff finally said after a moment.
"Do not worry I shall play along with whatever story you make up."
"Really dude!?"
"Yes! After all you are my only guide at the moment, and you have been helping me walk for a while now." Griff smiled and he had to admit he was cute in his own way. Even if the glowing eyes made so it was a cool kind of cute.
"Alright! So, listen… This will be the story that we tell them…"
Griff repeated in his head the story he was told by Lucian. The cover story was simple but that was okay. It should work if the guards did not ask too many questions… Then Griff would have to improvise, and he still was not sure what was believable and what was not believable on this world…
Ready or not for in case of improvisation they eventually arrived at the front of the town and of the guards. Now that Griff was near them, he could see what they were.
The first guard was silver in color and seemed almost metallic in most of its body. Their neck was long and grey at its base. They had wings and they were both silver and red as well as quite sharp it looked like. The beak with sharp teeth and the yellow eyes only made them even more intimidating than they would already be.
The other guard that was to the right of the first guard was smaller in size yet managed to be just as imposing as the first. They had dark grey fur covering most of their body. With some white fur on the paws. And they had red feathers coming from their head and back, the latter reminding Griff of a tail. The red eyes and the yellow mark on their face were something else Griff had noticed. And was that a scar next to their right eye or just some sort of fur pattern common for whatever the guard was?
Lucian raised the arm he was not using to help him and said "Yo Ambra! Biagio too!"
The almost completely metallic guard was the first to answer.
"Oh hello Lucian and… Biagio you know who is that?"
"Can't say I do… Or even what they are…" Said the smaller furred guard.
Alright… It was time to use the cover story that Lucian gave him…
"Hi. I am Griff from a small, inhabited island in the sea of wonders. I was in a ship when a storm hit the ship and when I woke up, I was on the water continent and have been wandering since then." He could feel his tail, which was still odd to think about as well, get slower on movement. Almost still, even, as anxiety for the reaction of the guards grew within him.
"And that is why you trust a Lapras instead of ships…" Scoffed Biagio.
"Now that is not a nice thing to say."
"It is the truth, Ambra. By the way, Griff just what are you? I have never seen a pokemon like you before."
Griff looked at Lucian who gave a nod as a way to say, "Go ahead and tell them" Without actually saying words.
"I am a poipole. We are a … Very rare species that is why you never seen someone like me before."
Hopefully that last improvised part would work…
"Yeah, and like they are also very reclusive. Almost never leave the sea of wonders!" Added Lucian to the lie about him being just a rare pokemon species from this world.
"Biagio… Are you really more worried about what he is then the fact what is obviously a child is the only know survivor of what might be a ship wreck!?"
At that the furred guard seemed to get embarrassed.
"O-Of course not! I am just worried about that I just wanted to know what he is for the report about this later that's all!"
"Hmmmf. That better be the case…" She then changes her tone of voice to a far more friendly one. "Griff… We are really sorry to hear what happened to you. If you want we can see if we can get some guards and adventurers to look for other survivors of the ship."
"T-That won't be necessary! I am… Pretty sure I am the only survivor indeed…"
This all would be much easier if Lucian allowed him to be honest about his origins… Although he did understand the reasoning behind having him lie about it… From the way Lucian talked about the other times humans visited this world they became well recorded events… He probably wanted Griff to get accustomed to the world before getting that type of attention. Yes, that probably was it, Griff concluded.
"Oh… How old are you?" Said Ambra. Looking at him as softly as she could with those yellow sharp eyes.
"Thirteen…" He admitted.
"Before any of you two say anything! I already talked to Griff, and he will stay with me and my parents. And don't go telling me they would not be okay with that because we both know that would be a lie!"
"Why you little… That is no way to talk to the guards even if your dad is one as wel-"
"Biagio… He is right. His attitude is wrong but Lucian is not wrong his parents would agree with this. You know how kind they can be."
Biagio gave a sigh of surrender.
"That's true… As much as I hate to admit it… Well welcome to town Griff, and if Lucian makes you get involved in any of his hijinks let us know."
Griff blinked a few times still processing the fact the pokemon he would stay with were Lucian's parents. Guess it now made sense why he was so confident they would agree with…
"I promise to you two I will!"
"Oh ha-ha. Come on you two, I don't even cause that much trouble. Let's go Griff. We are not that far away from my home! And I have a few things to show you about Gentle Town!"
And so Lucian kept leading the way, Griff walking alongside him thanks to Lucian's help.
"So… You really believe on that story those two said, Ambra?"
"I believe there is some truth to it… But there are definitely lies. But I do not think the fact Griff is alone is a lie… Perhaps… It is better we let them keep thinking they tricked us."
The weavile smiled.
"Clever as usual. Are you sure you are not a dark type?"
"As sure as I am that you are not a grass type even though you love those sun naps."
"They are not sun naps!"
The buildings of the town, or at least this part of it, were made of wood and stone with a few made of marble and concrete but those were the minority. Compared to the tall buildings full of windows and artificial light of different colors depending on the person's living in that apartment of the building preferences… It was quite a change to say the least to what Griff was accustomed to.
"There is the place where old Cacturne works at, he is one of those traditional type of folk, but also quite good with machines and stuff. Does quite a good number of jobs for the guild sometimes. Making things for them." Lucian explained as he pointed to a house that seemed like it could crumble at any moment, and that had what seemed like pieces of broken metal stuck to it.
"Local guild? And… Why is there metal stuck to the house's walls?" Griff asked.
"You don't know what guilds are! True! I forgot that since you're human you would not know. Well, I will explain what makes guilds and societies super cool! After I get you to my parents' home!"
And they kept going forward. With Lucian promising to answer one question and not answering the other question… Well, it probably was nothing dangerous at least, right? After all, if it was he would have warned them.
They kept walking a bit more before stopping in front of a statue. The statue seemed to represent four pokemon that he had not seen before. ( just how many pokemon there were?)
"Lucian… What pokemon are those in the statue?" He asked.
"Oh! Those are a houndoon, a magikarp, a spinda and a ferrothorn. They were a team that long ago protected the town from a raid done by thieves! Awesome huh?"
"Indeed! Although I am confused how that one would move around… Did they float?"
He looked at the figure in the middle of the statue.
"Hahahahaha! A magikarp floating? Nah. He just flopped around, honestly out of all the team members he probably was the bravest. Some say that he evolved right after beating the last thief too. Which is super cool!"
"Evolved? Like a poipole into a nanagadel? Or a cosmog into a cosmoem?"
He really should not be surprised yet he still was… But he could not deny that with that the theory that beasts and pokemon were the same thing to some degree was starting to become more and more convincing… Would Lucian brag about that? Maybe…
"Yeah something like that. Guess my idea about beasts and pokemon being the same is sounding more and more right eh?"
Griff gave a sigh.
"Yes. But I don't know if it is enough to call you right."
At that the Oshawott smiled. "Just give it time and you will see that I am right, dude!"
As much as he wanted to share Lucian's enthusiasm… If the oshawott was right that implied a good number of things…
"Alright enough with the tour. It is time for us to go to my home!" Lucian stated as a matter of fact.
And so, they walked a bit more. To north of the statue and then to the left. In a few minutes they arrived at a house somewhat larger than most he had seen nearby yet not by that much of a significant amount. It had corbels on it and they seemed to be decorated with water themed engravings. The windows had wooden shutters like most other houses he had seen but these ones were in a far better state than the others. But what truly made him notice this house was somewhat different from the others was the door. It was made of wood like others? Yes. But it had many engravings on it.
"Why is your house slightly bigger than the others we saw before in this town?"
"Family on the guard means that though not rich my family Is not poor either, dude." He said as he knocked on the door that is considerably bigger than him and Griff. Just how big in size was Lucian's family members?
The answer came quickly as the door opened to reveal a pokemon that slightly reminded Griff of Lucian yet there were many obvious differences. This pokemon was far bigger and had mainly orange fur instead of mainly blue fur. Said pokemon also had two tails that swished from one side to the other and something around his own neck… Although he was not sure what that was.
"Son! I am so glad to see you. I was worried you had gone to do one of your teenager shenanigans but I guess with how quick you came back you had just gone for a wal-" The pokemon with a somewhat deep voice stopped talking as he finally noticed Griff.
"Wow dad and here I thought you would take notice quicker of the guy holding onto me. Dad meet Griff. Griff meet my dad." Lucian said.
"H-Hello sir I met your son when we found each other on a nearby forest." Griff spoke. Not fully sure what to say to Lucian's father if he was to be honest.
Lucian's father smiled while at the same time Lucian made a face of fear, which was quite odd. Why was Lucian reacting that way?
"Ah always great to hear about my son meeting new peo- HE WAS WHERE!?" As the orange pokemon's voice became filled with anger and shock he realized why Lucian reacted that way…
"I knew I had forgotten to tell you something…" Lucian said before facepalming with his free arm.