Round ears twitched as a soft, high-pitched hum made him pause. Nedzu finished his email and switched windows to flip through the camera feeds. It wasn't until he looked through the training grounds that he found the source of the alarm.
In one of the grassy fields just outside of Training Ground Beta, lay a young woman unconscious. She was curled up and clutching her purse to her chest. Tears spilled from her pained frown, hair strewn about, and clothes torn. A jackal-like creature crouched protectively over her pouring pink energy into her back. It appeared to be growling under its breath. Something in her bag shuffled then a ball fell out. Nedzu distantly noted its color — blue and red with a white bottom — as it… trembled and jumped in place? The jackal glared at it as the glow faded from its paws. It barked and the ball popped open to reveal a white dog-like being with a large dark horn curling around the side of its head.
How strange! Nedzu gently pulled his screen free and typed a request to Chiyo. As he made his way down, the principal tried to puzzle out their guest. Certainly, there were signs of energy surges in the last several months, but this was the first time something- someone had fallen through. And with animal companions to boot.
He waved to the sleek car that stopped at the dropoff. Chiyo stared down his plastic smile. Then huffed. Shaking her head, she drawled, "What student has run afoul now?"
"Not a student but a surprising guest!" He watched the two canines curled around the girl as the car moved. The white-furred one lifted its head as its horn glowed a deep purple. Jackal's head snapped over. When the glow faded, both relaxed. Nedzu hummed. "She might be injured but her animal companions are quite protective of her. They appeared shortly after another of those energy surges."
He watched as both companions turned toward the road. Could they sense the car? Or perhaps the people within it? The stoat shook that train of thought away. While he had many questions, they could wait. No, a young woman barely older than their third-year students needed help.
Chiyo stopped a short distance away from the trio and Nedzu hopped out. He slowly approached the trio in the grass while she pulled her first aid kit from the backseat. The young woman was still unconscious and her companions watched his every move. He had no doubts that if he were to so much as twitch his tail wrong, they would attack him.
The Jackal's rounded ties levitated as both they and its red eyes began to glow blue. Nedzu simply kept his serene expression and waited. Then he got another surprise.
"Hello." Definitely masculine from the low timbre of his voice. Glowing eyes looked over Nedzu's shoulder then back to the stoat. "You wish to help our Trainer?"
He could hear the capital letter. Felt more than heard Recovery Girl stop behind him. "Yes, we do. If you let Chiyo do a quick check, we can return to her office in the main building."
The air felt heavy, both the telepath and his friend silently communicating. A long silence followed before Nedzu had his attention again. "I have healed what I can but have nothing to cover her cuts with. The others are still too drained from whatever power dragged us here to awaken." He paused. Eyes glowed more intensely as he took in both Nedzu and Chiyo. He must have found something because his shoulders slumped. His fellow companion nodded their head and stood. Jackal followed shortly after, a desperation in his eyes he had hidden before. The white-furred creature disappeared in a beam of red light into the ball it escaped earlier. Jackal tucked it back into his Trainer's purse and threw the bag over his shoulder instead. He turned to them with a nod.
Chiyo kept her steps slow and deliberate as she approached. Her kit was laid next to her as she carefully examined what she could. There were shallow cuts along her arms and legs. Gentle prodding had the nurse sighing in relief. No signs of internal injuries… Everything else she decided could wait.
"I can take care of her cuts in my office." She stood and smiled at the canine. "If she had anything internal, it looks like you healed them."
"I will carry her." Then he knelt and pulled the girl into his paws with such care it stunned the adults. Shaking their surprise away, Chiyo led the jackal back to the car. Nedzu hummed a few steps behind them. He could only hope their new charge would be ready to share her story upon waking.
The first thing Andría knew was soreness. Everything ached in a way they only did after a long afternoon of sparring with Antoine. Her hands felt especially stiff. What in Oblivion happened?
A flash of green. Wind howled past her ears. Bubbling warmth despite the cold of fear.
And that ominous title…
Andría took a deep breath and focused on her aura sense. Soft waves of gold rippled out in her mind's eye. Relief relaxed her at the eight quiet auras sitting on the chair beside her - seven condensed and one laid out on the next bed. Extending beyond the room made her frown. There were several humans but they all felt like single- or dual-typed aura users. Actually… Everyone she could sense in the building around her felt more like Pokémon than humans. What had her trying to sit up was the unfamiliar fairy-type aura in the room with her.
Sure enough, flipping through papers at a desk to her right was an elderly nurse with a visor over her eyes and… was that a needle in her bun? As if that wasn't strange enough, there was a much larger needle leaning against the woman's chair.
She must have shifted something because the nurse looked up to smile at her. "I'm glad to see you awake, dearie. How are you feeling?
The accented Sinnohan startled her. She blinked then shook her head. "Pretty sore."
"I see," the nurse frowned at the clipboard sitting on the table. She grabbed the needle in her bun - which was apparently a pen - to scribble something onto it then hopped off her chair. Cane in hand, she walked to Andría's bedside. "A little more rest should help with that. Do you remember what happened before you woke up?"
Andría looked down at the keystone in her pendant. "I went to investigate the energy surges and the trail led me to the Chambre Néant." The nurse didn't blink at the language switch. Though she did raise an eyebrow. Maybe there's another Kalosian here? Andría crossed her legs. "In the middle of the chamber was one of Hoopa's Rings. I'm not sure why it reacted to my aura the way it did but… they combined somehow. Next thing I knew, high winds swept me through the portal."
Confusion on the nurse's face made her heart drop. Sure, most regions don't have extensive records of each other's myths and legends. But even Hoopa's name was interregionally known. Centuries ago, their favorite thing to do was hop regions. The main sign they had passed through was a trail of unexplained mischief in a chain of villages.
Before the nurse could respond, a Normal not-Pokémon walked through the door. He hopped onto the foot of the bed with a genial smile. "Well, it sounds like you had quite the adventure." He can speak the same accented Sinnohan. Weird. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss…"
"Um, Andría. Andría Mathieu."
The not-pokémon's smile widened. "Miss Mathieu. I am Nedzu, the principal of Yuuei and the wonderful nurse beside me is Shuzenji-san."
"It's nice to meet you both." Before she could continue, a familiar paw tapped her and Andría brightened. "Antoine!"
She opened her arms and he threw himself forward. His rumbling purr made her smile into his fur. A few more pops and then she was crowded with half her team. Lucario didn't give up his spot but Sylveon nudged his way between them onto her lap. Absol sat behind her, head set on her shoulder. They heard another pop as a large shadow covered them.
"Waitwaitwait-" Salamence crushed all four of them. Wings curled over them, he burrowed his face into her neck. Andría sighed with a smile curling her lips. She wiggled her arms free to pat and scratch where she could.
"Alright, alright. I know you're glad we're okay, but I don't think we have enough space for everyone to be out right now." Whispered grumbling made her giggle. "Hubert, Léa, Hoshi; you three return."
With a little more whining and huffing, Salamence, Absol, and Sylveon disappeared in beams of red.
"Miss Mathieu," Nedzu called. His wide smile had fallen into a serious frown. "Why were you investigating the energy surges?"
Andría stared at him. He doesn't recognize me. A pit formed in her stomach as she glanced at Recovery Girl. She wore a similarly concerned frown. Neither of them do.
The Trainer swallowed thickly. "It's my job."
Nedzu and Shuzenji-san shared a look, making the pit grow. If they didn't recognize her…
"Where am I?"