Legendary Genesis

[Ahnyo]

"The natural balance of the world is becoming shattered, threatening to bury the land in eternal strife and disarray. Even the looming darkness can do nothing to hinder the bitter rivalry of the Arcanine and Manectric Academies, two schools that specialize in transforming young Pokémon into master treasure hunters—but their cooperation may be the only thing that can prevent the world from spiraling into never-ending corruption and chaos."

. . .

This is a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon fanfic I started over the summer. I never intended on posting it here, but today I changed my mind. As a warning, updates are incredibly slow—I still haven't gotten around to finishing the second chapter. As with my other fic, this story is very loosely based upon a role play. This is also a shameless self-insert fic; I'm really just experimenting, and I want to try to see if I can successfully capture my personality and how I'd respond to the events in the story. The plot of the Mystery Dungeon games always revolves around the player transforming into a Pokémon (except for those wacky Wii-Ware games that were never released outside of Japan), so I thought it'd be appropriate. I know most people frown upon self-insert stories, but I thought it'd be interesting to have the story at least attempt to explore my thoughts and the way I act. Warning: the earlier chapters are laden with purple prose, Said Bookism, and adverb abuse, but it's toned down later on. I started working on this story three years ago, so my writing style noticeably changes throughout.

The first post will act as an index, and it will also include a trivia section. Chapter one, and all following chapters, will be posted separately.

I would greatly appreciate it if reviews were posted here.

. . .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One - The Bug Catcher
Chapter Two - Headmaster Disaster
Chapter Three - The Team with No Name
Chapter Four - A Real Gem
Chapter Five - You Are What You Eat
Chapter Six - Gnashing Teeth and Criminal Tongues
Chapter Seven - The Plague Doctor
Chapter Eight - Heir Conditioning
Chapter Nine - What Lies Within

. . .

CHARACTER PROFILES

Spoiler

. . .

TRIVIA

Dion's name is derived from Dionaea muscipula, the scientific name of the Venus Flytrap.

Even though Eileen is a self-insert character, I did not give her my first name; rather, I gave her my middle name.

Eileen's forgetfulness regarding her wings is based on how I have a habit of forgetting to add Scyther's wings when I'm drawing it.

Team Masquerade is based on the protagonists of a comic I attempted to make a few years ago. There was originally a fourth member (a Trubbish named Hefty), but he was excluded because his personality was too similar to Dion's.

 

[Ahnyo]

Chapter One - The Bug Catcher​

Milky morning light illuminated the murky bog, softening its normally sinister atmosphere. The air was smolderingly humid, and the repulsive odor of steaming swamp gas and rotting vegetation emanated from the green, stagnant water. Cattails and tall blades of grass poked out of mounds of mud. Twisted vines constricted gnarled mangrove trees, giving them the appearance of emerald serpents.

Dion bobbed his head approvingly, his face twisted in its usual ecstatic grin. No one would ever think of searching this place! Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he glided toward the dungeon's entrance. As Dion was a Carnivine, he felt right at home in this habitat most Pokémon would consider inhospitable. I bet no one's been here in centuries. This place is probably laden with treasure! Everyone at the academy will think twice before calling me useless when I return with a swollen bag of loot!

Dion was a fairly new student at the renowned Arcanine's Academy, a haven for those looking to become skilled treasure hunters. Due to a sudden slump in recruits, the Carnivine hadn't yet been sorted into a hunting team. As Arcanine insisted it wasn't safe for students to explore dungeons alone, Dion had been restricted to performing simple tasks and chores for the school. Dion, who was naturally clumsy and somewhat dimwitted, habitually slipped up and made mistakes. The rest of the academy considered him to be a source of entertainment, and some students went as far as saying he'd never get anywhere as a hunter.

Initially, Dion tried to ignore any negative comments his fellow students threw at him. As time rolled on, the Carnivine found it harder and harder to remain passive. Though he wouldn't admit it, his classmates' remarks were starting to get to his head. He frequently found himself questioning whether or not he'd make it as a treasure hunter. Even though Arcanine advised against going hunting alone, Dion couldn't stand waiting any longer. He felt he was ready to test his skills and mettle now.

The Carnivine quickly scanned a small plaque attached to a post. This place is called the Foreboding Bog, eh? That's funny. It doesn't look scary or anything. Dion caught sight of a rickety wooden walkway a yard away from the post, and hovered over to investigate it. He cautiously pressed his palm against it, and was met with a sharp stinging sensation. Wincing, he drew his arm back. Splinters! Dion inspected his leafy fingers, which had several tiny shards of wood embedded in them. He fretfully tried to brush the splinters away with his other hand. Geez, this thing looks pretty unsafe. Good thing I don't have to walk on it.

Whistling cheerily, Dion floated above the walkway. He looked from side to side, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of treasure. As he obviously lacked any experience as a hunter, his expectations didn't quite meet the realities most students discovered. The Carnivine seemed to carry a strong conviction that he'd just happen to find some sort of precious artifact sticking out like a sore thumb.

Dion wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. The temperature had spiked since he entered the Foreboding Bog. While Carnivine often made their homes in climates like this, Dion had become accustomed to cooler temperatures. He pressed forward, not letting the heat tamper with his nerve.

The Carnivine soon came across what appeared to be the end of the walkway. The last few boards had broken off and were now resting in the motionless water. Dion frowned. This isn't the end of the dungeon, is it? A mischievous smile spread across his face. I bet someone was just trying to deter hunters from the treasure. It's gotta be somewhere out there in the depths of the swamp… somewhere unapproachable to most Pokémon. A clever trick, but it won't work on me! My Levitate ability seriously comes in handy sometimes.

Dion leisurely drifted over the stretch of bog, merrily swinging his bag around. He flew past a forest of dark ferns and came to an abrupt stop when he caught a glimpse of bright green out of the corner of his eye. Oh? What could this be? He approached it slowly, savoring the moment. Maybe it's a giant Peridot! I'll be rich! The Carnivine swept aside a wall of leafy branches, only for him to reel back in horror at what he found.

The still body of a Scyther was lying belly-down in a small pool of muck, its midsection hidden beneath the filthy water. Its head was resting on a pile of damp stones, and its face was stuck in an uncomfortable grimace. One of its scimitar-shaped arms was placed over the rocks, and the other one had disappeared under the water. Its legs were sprawled out strangely. The Scyther had a large abdomen, denoting that it was a female.

Dion shielded his eyes out of fear, but his curiosity compelled him to peek out from between his fingers. I didn't expect to find anyone out here, especially not in a position like this. She's not dead, is she? Oh, Arceus, what do I do? Panicking, the Carnivine slithered up a nearby tree and anchored himself onto one of its branches. He unsteadily extended his arm and prodded at the Scyther's face. "Please wake up," he prayed quietly.

The Scyther raised her head wearily, a heavy yawn slipping from her jaws. She opened her eyes delicately, as if she were waking up from a pleasant dream.

Dion beamed gleefully. "Oh, good, you're alive!"

The Scyther knit her brows. "What?" She uneasily examined her surroundings, her eyes widening with a combination of fear and surprise. "What in the world is going on here? Who said that?" She spoke in a soft, relatively low-pitched voice—the opposite of Dion's usual tone.

"Look up!" the Carnivine exclaimed, waving his arms.

Not bothering to second guess Dion's order, the Scyther compliantly lifted her gaze and was instantly met with the sight of his gaping mouth. "Good lord!" she gasped, startled. "Wait a second. You're a Carnivine, aren't you?"

Dion shrugged. "Yeah, last time I checked." The Scyther's words confused him slightly. Why was she acting like she had never seen anything like him before?

"Ha, that's pretty cool." She smiled contentedly.

The Carnivine frowned sheepishly. "You, uh, need some help getting up? Here, grab on." He reached for her, realizing a second too late that he was dealing with a Pokémon that lacked proper hands.

"I'd appreciate it," the Scyther purred, raising an arm. She froze, gawking at the sight of the blade that took the place of her hand. "Oh my gosh," she breathed, her face lighting up, "this is amazing!"

"Huh?" Dion pulled his arm back apprehensively. "Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay," she laughed, "I'm a Scyther!" She hooked her scythes into the mud and pulled herself to her feet. The Scyther then twisted her head around as she thoroughly studied herself.

"Yes. Yes, you are." Dion shook his head in disbelief. What's her problem? I guess she must've hit her head on those rocks. I should go get her some help. "You want to come with me to Origin Plaza?"

"Sure, whatever that is." The Scyther, who had begun to vigorously slash at the nearby ferns, didn't appear to be paying attention to him.

"You've never heard of Origin Plaza?" the Carnivine sputtered. Origin Plaza was a bustling town not far from Arcanine's Academy, and its economy thrived on meeting the wants and needs of the local treasure hunters. Its cheery slogan, "Where all adventures begin!" was well known throughout the land. Considering that she couldn't remember what Pokémon she was, I shouldn't be surprised.

The Scyther sank her blades into the tree Dion was hanging to. "Well, obviously. You know, this is sort of weird. I've never been able to hold awareness for this long. My control usually slips away seconds after I realize that I'm dreaming. I guess I've finally mastered the art of lucid dreaming!"

"Wait… what?" Dion's jaw dropped in bafflement.

The Scyther gave a hasty shrug, unhooking her claws from the bark. "Eh, I shouldn't even bother explaining. That would just be a waste of time. I'd like to get the best out of this dream before it's over… which should be soon."

Dion scratched the back of his neck. "I really don't think you're dreaming."

"Oh, don't be silly," the Scyther giggled. "There's no way this could be real. It's impossible."

The Carnivine stared at the ground. "I don't get it. What are you talking about?"

"Forget it. Let's just go to Origin Plaza or whatever you were talking about." She took an awkward step forward, nearly tripping and landing face-first in the mud. The way she moved, taking lumbering gaits as she forcefully swung her hips, made it appear as if she had forgotten how to walk.

Clamping his jaws shut, Dion swiftly detached himself from the tree and assumed his stationary floating position about half a foot above the earth. "Can you at least tell me your name? I'm Dion."

The Scyther froze in her tracks, digging her forearms into the dirt for support. "My name?" She narrowed her eyes as she desperately wracked her brain for an answer. "What in the world? I can't remember!" she yelled, incredulity trickling from her voice.

The Carnivine nodded in silent understanding. She's definitely an amnesiac. "Is there anything you remember about yourself?"

The Scyther thoughtfully pressed a blade against her chin. She stood still for what felt like an eternity, lost in her broken thoughts. The Mantis Pokémon finally said, "Now that I think of it, there's a lot I can't remember. It mostly involves my personal life: my name, my family, my friends, certain details about who I am… all gone. It must be part of this crazy dream. That makes no sense, though. I'm in control, so surely I should be able to recall those basic things? Ah well, I suppose I'm an amateur when it comes to lucid dreaming. I don't know what I should've expected."

"I still say this isn't a dream." Dion gazed into his empty bag forlornly. "If all your memories about yourself are gone, isn't it possible that you've simply forgotten that you're a Scyther? I dunno, but I'm pretty sure I'm not a figment of your imagination." He doubtfully ran his fingers across his face, checking if he was a real Pokémon.

The Scyther shook her head. "I'd normally be open to ideas like that, but that's just not possible. If that were true, why do I still have some memories about who I was before? You can't tell me I just pulled them out of nowhere."

The Carnivine couldn't think of any reasonable explanations, so he decided to ask, "If you're not a Scyther, what are you supposed to be?"

"A human," she stated nonchalantly.

"A human?" Dion echoed in astonishment. "But humans aren't real, are they? I thought they were make-believe." The young Carnivine had heard plenty of stories about humans—strange, bipedal creatures that supposedly trapped Pokémon in spherical objects and forced them to battle.

"Touché." The Scyther heaved a sigh. "None of this makes any sense." She glanced at her scythes in what appeared to be disappointment. "Well, I guess this is it. I'm beginning to doubt I'll ever wake up from this dream."

Dion twiddled his thumbs wordlessly, unsure of how to respond to the Scyther's predicament. He was positive she had merely gotten her memories mixed up, but he didn't want to argue with her. The Carnivine noticed that her manner of speaking had changed drastically—her voice originally had a carefree, almost ditzy ring to it, and now it had become much darker and less playful. Now that she was sure she wasn't dreaming, she had hardened into a grim, serious individual. "What are you going to do now?" he questioned.

"I don't know." The Scyther turned her back to him.

"All right, then." Dion was upset with her unexpected drop in talkativeness; she seemed like a clever Pokémon, and he thought she'd at least have an idea of what she wanted to do next. She's being stubborn, that's all. He tried coming up with a suggestion of his own. "Maybe Headmaster Arcanine will know what to do. Want me to show you the way to the academy?"

"I guess," she muttered sullenly.

"Well, let's go." Dion flew forward and turned his head to make sure the other Pokémon was following him. The Carnivine slowed his pace when he realized she was having trouble keeping up. It's weird. I thought Scyther were supposed to be blazingly fast… so fast that they're barely visible. I guess she's not used to being a Scyther, regardless of whether or not what she says is true. She's also not using her wings to propel herself forward. I wonder if she even knows she can do that. He didn't bother reminding her; despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but feel accomplished about being faster than a Scyther.

Dion faced her. "Since you don't know your name, is there anything in particular you'd like to be called?"

The Scyther didn't reply for a moment. "I don't know why, but the first thing that comes to mind is Eileen. I feel like it's had some kind of significance in my life, but I'm positive it's not my name. Or, well, maybe it is. It might also be a friend's name or something, or perhaps I just made it up." She wrinkled her nose. "It's a weird name. My heart wants to cling to it, though, since it might be one of the last fragments of my past life I have left."

Dion thought the way she relayed her words was especially pathetic. "All righty, Eileen it is." He wondered what he'd name himself if he had the choice, and was promptly interrupted by a short yowl. He whipped around fearfully, only to find that Eileen had fallen into a deep patch of swampy water. Submerged up to her neck, the Scyther flailed wildly as she coughed up a mouthful of water she had inhaled. The Carnivine remembered that he had only managed to get this far due to his Levitate ability—these parts of the Foreboding Bog were inaccessible to Pokémon without means of flight. Of course, Eileen boasted a pair of functioning wings, but she was still oblivious to their presence.

"Gah," he spat unthinkingly. Unsure of how to help, he asked, "How deep is it? Can you swim?"

Eileen was fiercely struggling to stay afloat. "Not like this!" she snarled as her head went under. Seconds later, her muzzle briefly emerged and she spewed out another jet of green water. Dion watched helplessly, chewing on his fingertips. She may be a crazy amnesiac, but I can't just let her drown… The Carnivine waited impatiently for Eileen to resurface. To his despair, the Scyther's leaf-green snout didn't bob up from the water—the only thing that signified how she had disappeared into the pool was a steady stream of tiny bubbles.

What do I do? Dion hovered above the chasm recklessly, panic pulsing through his heart. He halted when a smidge of an idea popped into his skull. Maybe I could try using Vine Whip. I really hope this works! Trying to calm down, the Carnivine let a pair of vine-like tendrils slide out from the base of his neck. Sweating with anxiety, he shakily guided them into the murky water and frantically searched for something to grasp onto. Dion let out a sigh of relief when one of his vines wrapped around something slender—he assumed it was one of Eileen's arms, but it felt surprisingly light. He yanked it out of the water, only to find that it was actually a waterlogged branch.

Tossing the stick aside in dismay, the Carnivine dipped his vines into the water again. How did I mess that up? He fished around hurriedly, finally finding what couldn't have been anything but the drowning Pokémon. Binding his vines around her upper arms, he tugged with all his might. Dion managed to pull her to the surface, but he knew he wouldn't be able to raise her into the air; the Scyther was probably at least twice his weight.

Eileen gasped and sputtered as her head burst out of the water. She panted violently, wheezing and choking. "Ugh," she uttered between coughs.

"Are you all right?" the Carnivine inquired worriedly.

"No, not really,” Eileen growled sourly, her face masked with nausea and fatigue. She gagged as she stuck out her tongue in an attempt to expel the foul taste from her mouth.

"You'll be fine," Dion assured, even though he didn't really know what she was talking about. The Scyther's lack of gratitude frustrated him—he had just saved her life, and she couldn't deliver a simple "thank you". Your messed up memory doesn't excuse you from being rude.

Eileen treaded water agitatedly as Dion held her up. Since he couldn't lift her, he figured his only option was to drag her onto land. I've gotta find that boardwalk, he decided. The wooden walkway trailed straight out of the dungeon, so if he brought her there she wouldn't have to worry about running into anymore aquatic pitfalls. The Carnivine pulled her along behind him as he tried to remember which direction it was in.

I can't imagine what it'd be like to be a Scyther, Dion thought. Although its forearms made impressive weapons, they were of little practical use—the Mantis Pokémon completely lacked the ability to grasp or hold onto things, and its blades were a constant safety hazard to those around it. They should at least be able to use Vine Whip or something.

Eileen didn't appear to be concerned about how Dion was uncertainly lugging her through the bog. Her slanted eyes were glazed with weariness—the product of her frenzied fight to keep herself from drowning.

When Dion spotted the walkway at last, he rushed to guide the Scyther over to it. Eileen was startled by his sudden change of pace. "What's going on?" she questioned in a small voice.

"I found a place where you'll be safe," the Bug Catcher Pokémon explained. He brought her a step too close to the boardwalk, causing her to collide with the wood. The Scyther shot Dion a dirty look. "Oops," he apologized nervously. There was something awfully intimidating about Eileen's appearance—her pointed fangs and venomous glare, the way her wicked sickles could slice him up in a moment's notice. It didn't help that she was of both the Bug and Flying types: two of the Carnivine's weaknesses. Even though he knew the Scyther had no reason to hurt him (and even if she did, she probably wouldn't know how), he felt slightly uncomfortable around her. "Will you be able to get yourself out of the water?"

Eileen meekly gazed at the walkway in front of her. "I'll try," she replied. She dug her forearms into the edge of the boardwalk, leaving deep incisions in the wood. Shifting her weight onto her upper body, she kicked as she struggled to push herself onto the platform. Noticing that she was having trouble, Dion exerted himself as he attempted to pull her up. As both of the Pokémon had little physical strength, the Scyther remained in the water.

"Why don't you try using your wings?" the Carnivine suggested in annoyance.

"My wings?" Eileen repeated, glancing over her shoulder in cluelessness. "Oh, wow. I forgot that Scyther could fly." Dion detected a hint of joy in her voice. While Scyther boasted two sets of wings, they were incapable of flying at high elevations or for long distances. He assumed they would be enough to give her a boost, though.

Dion drew his vines back as Eileen hesitantly gave her wings a test. Droplets of water that had collected on them were sent flying as her wings vibrated rapidly and a loud droning noise filled the air. Seemingly spooked by the whole thing, the Scyther quickly made her wings become still. "Ugh, that's so weird!" she exclaimed. "That wasn't what I was expecting at all."

The Carnivine tried to imagine what it would be like to have wings. While Levitate granted him the ability to hover a few inches above the ground, it was completely different from being able to fly. Dion had never thought about why members of his species were able to do this—he guessed it made up for how they didn't have legs or any other suitable means of locomotion.

Baring her teeth, Eileen started up her wings again. She tore her scythes out of the wood as her body slowly gained height. She angled herself so that she flew forward, and she dropped onto the walkway with a thud once she began to drift over it. "Ow," she hissed, shakily rising to her feet. "God, I'm so heavy."

Dion glided up to her. "Well, at least you're out of harm's way."

"You think so?" Eileen mumbled grouchily, biting her lip. Balancing on one leg, she picked up one of her feet and scanned the bottom of it. A large chip of wood was wedged in her sole. Scowling, she reached for it with one of her blades as if she planned on removing it, only to realize that she no longer had hands. The Scyther then lost her balance and nearly toppled onto her side.

Dion chuckled to himself. I never thought I'd find anyone as clumsy as me, he thought. But she has a reason to be clumsy… I think. I still find her story really hard to believe. I can't wait to see what Arcanine has to think about her. A frown formed on his face. Until now, it hadn't occurred to him that Arcanine would be upset with him for venturing into a dungeon alone. Ol' Arcanine is nice; he probably won't mind. Besides, I'm not by myself. I know Eileen isn't a student, but… I wonder if I could get her to become a hunter. He looked over at the Scyther, who was unsuccessfully attempting to use her forearms as tweezers. Nah, there's no way she'd do that. I'd ask her, but I already know she'll say no. She has bigger things to worry about than joining a hunting team. She wouldn't be a good partner, anyway; she barely knows anything about being a Pokémon. I'm pretty inexperienced myself, though. It would be nice to learn together… to not have someone laugh and mock me whenever I mess up. She's sort of quiet and impolite, but at least she isn't mean. He sighed, trying to change the subject. It's a bummer that I didn't end up finding any treasure. But I did certainly find something… something much more interesting than a gem or jewel, to say the least.
​

 

[Legacy]

I just want to compliment you on the obvious amount of thought and planning goes into your stories. Really great. I love the meaning behind Dion's name and how intricate the story seems to be.

 

[Flaze]

All right first I should start with this. I think you have a pretty good premise, especially since MD fics aren't usually done that much so the fact that you took a chance with this is pretty good.

All right, on to the main review.

At the start of the chapter I felt as if things were going a little too fast. For example, you described the surroundings well as well as what was going on, but I feel as if it was more listing than describing things. It felts as if Dion's actions and what went on around him was just being thrown around at us quickly. A good example of this is how you described his situation at the academy, merely telling us that he was not allowed to go into Dungeons or that people made fun of him. You didn't explore much on what he felt about that but the real problem here is that just telling us all of this at once ruins things a little, especially since you could've explored it later on when he was around others from the academy, that would've been a better place to explain and expand on this as it was based on something going on at that moment.

I feel like the part with Dion discovering the Eileen should've been expanded a bit. You see, it wasn't that it was bad but the fact that her realization wasn't explained further made things seem a bit unrealistic, for one she accepted the fact that she was no longer a human right away, not just that but you could've described her feelings a bit more at the moment she saw that she had blade for arms and she was no longer human in appearance, not just that but also explaining her thoughts at her surroundings and the Pokemon that was floating just above her would've helped a great deal.

The description gets better in the latter half of the chapter, though it still lacks a lot of depth to it, but that can easily be worked on. Don't worry about this, we all have problems regarding description and I myself am no exception, especially since you and I have similar writing styles.

What I would recommend is that little by little you try to add a little more feeling to it, now I don't mean you have to write long overbearing paragraphs but try to describe the surroundings and feelings of the characters more as if it was happening to you right there, if you were in your character's place what would you feel by being in that situation and stuff like that.

Well so far we have only two characters so I don't have much of an opinion on them yet. Eileen seems interesting and I'm intrigued about her past, I can tell that she's the equivalent of the main character in a MD game due to the fact she says she's human. Dion's also interesting but I feel like he lacks a bit of depth, his feelings change kind of quickly, now this doesn't mean that he's a bad character but if you don't expand his personality more (which you'll obviously will I'm sure of that) then he could end up being generic.

Other than that all I can say is that you should keep working to become better, the story isn't so bad so you don't have a to worry about, just focus on becoming a better author with each chapter and to make the story more of your own with every chapter.

So for a rating so far

6/10

 

[Ahnyo]

I'm going to be completely honest here: I really didn't put a lot of effort into planning this fic. It was just supposed to be something I could work on when I fell into a tough spot in my main story. I'm not saying that I just opened up a Word document and scribbled down the entire thing in one sitting, but I didn't plan it out meticulously like I did with PF. I have a problem with juggling multiple stories, too... if I attempt to tackle a new fic while working on a big project, it's a miracle if I even finish one chapter. That's why LG hasn't been updated since September.

My first chapters always have a tendency to be especially weak, and sometimes I wonder if that's why a lot of people aren't willing to give my pieces a chance. This is a bit troubling when it comes to LG, since at the moment it only has one chapter and therefore that's the only thing readers can base their opinions on. I understand that neither of the characters seem very developed at the moment, but there is only one chapter and I haven't had a chance to reveal their personalities in full yet. In the case of Dion's background, I didn't want to introduce him as a mysterious character with unexplained motives. Since the story is from "his perspective", I thought it would be suitable to let the audience know where he was coming from. If there's anything wrong with LG, it's certainly that introductory paragraph; I've been panned for it over and over again. I'm not usually one to go into detail about the setting; most of the time, I leave it up to the reader's interpretation. I guess I was sort of experimenting with it this time—I was trying to paint a clear picture of the environment Dion was exploring. I think the fact that it was the very first paragraph may have something to do with why it's so glaringly noticeable that I goofed up.

You seem to have a lot to say about the ambiguity involving Eileen's thoughts and feelings. I write in a third person, limited style, so I only delve into the mind of one character (in this chapter's case, Dion). However, the character that the story follows alternates every chapter; the unfinished second chapter focuses on Eileen. Once she comes to realize that she isn't dreaming, Eileen begins to be characterized as a quiet individual, so it wouldn't be right if I had her openly speak her mind about how she felt. I'm aware that Eileen's thoughts are crucial to the story; the first six paragraphs of chapter two provide insight on how she feels about everything that's happened to her.

Thank you for the feedback.

 

[Flaze]

I see. Well I can understand where you're coming from about wanting to let readers shape things on their own, I like that type of style as well. And you're right that it's only one chapter. Well taking that into account just focus on what I said and I hope you can keep writing cause I think this could end up being good if you keep getting inspiration for it, if not then well that happens to all of us.

 

[Ahnyo]

Chapter Two - Headmaster Disaster​

It was difficult for Eileen to wrap her head around everything that had happened so far. Every so often, she found herself glancing at her bladelike forearms or insect body just to establish that what she was going through was real. She still wanted to convince herself that she was dreaming, but she believed Dion’s words over her own. Why should she trust herself? She didn’t even know who she was. However, Eileen was certain she used to be a human. She couldn’t bring herself to accept the theory that she had simply lost her memory. It just wasn’t right.

It was infuriating not being able to remember a lot about her past life—it was as if someone had scrubbed her thoughts with a cheap pencil eraser, leaving ugly smudges behind. She knew she had a name; she knew she had a family; she knew she had friends. She just didn’t know anything about them. It made her feel a bit hollow inside.

Eileen knew she should move on and forget about her past—there was no point in searching for answers when there was no way to find them. Dion said that “Headmaster Arcanine” might be able to help her, but she didn’t get how he would be able to solve anything. This was her problem, concerning her memories. He’d just say the same things Dion said. Eileen understood where the Carnivine was coming from, though—her problem probably made just as much sense to him as it did to her, if not less. She had to admit that his theory was rather logical, much more so than the nonsense she had been spouting.

When she had first woken up, Eileen was thrilled to find that she had been transformed into a Scyther. There was something undeniably impressive about the Pokémon’s fearsome appearance, and she was in awe about how she had been granted its form. However, her excitement began to wear away once it sank in how much of an inconvenience being a Scyther was. She felt uncomfortable in its body—it was like her soul had been ripped out of her and carelessly stuffed into another container. How long had she been a human? Fifteen years? Sixteen? It was apparent that this detail had slipped from her mind as well, but it didn’t matter. She was used to living in a human body, and walking with human legs, and breathing with human lungs.

This reliance on what she was accustomed to had already nearly gotten her killed. If she had fallen into the water when she was a human, Eileen would’ve had no problem staying afloat and bringing herself onto land. It was pitiful how helpless she had become—she never thought slipping into a pool of stagnant water would’ve turned into a desperate struggle between life and death. I couldn’t even lift myself onto a platform right at the surface of the pool. How sad is that?

Though she didn’t make a display of her gratitude, Eileen was deeply thankful for what Dion had done. If it weren’t for him, she’d probably be left as a bloated corpse floating in the bog, rotting and strengthening the stench of decay the swamp already gave off. She also appreciated the amount of care he showed—he seemed profoundly concerned about her dilemma and eager to find her some help. He appeared to be a genuinely honest and kind Pokémon; not someone who would suddenly turn his back on her.

“Do you want some help?” the Carnivine offered, noticing that Eileen wasn’t having any luck taking out the splinter.

The Scyther looked up at him. “Okay.” Dion bobbed his head and hovered over to her. He grasped her leg in one of his leafy hands, and Eileen hunched her back and burrowed her scythes into the wood so she wouldn’t fall over. She winced as he pinched the woodchip and carefully pulled it out. Eileen growled as a stinging pain shot across her foot.

“There we go,” Dion chimed as he flicked the splinter into the water. “Let’s keep moving.”

“Right,” Eileen mumbled apathetically. Skittishly walking on her toes, she made sure to keep an eye out for any upturned shards of wood. The Scyther noticed that her eyesight had sharpened—she had been nearsighted as a human, and had trouble clearly seeing anything more than a yard away from her. Everything had become much more pronounced; colors were brighter and more intense, and she could easily make out tiny, insignificant details she would’ve normally never been able to catch. To her amazement, she could see each individual leaf on the distant mangrove trees. The world is so beautiful through a Scyther’s eyes, she thought in wonder.

“The exit’s right up ahead,” the Carnivine announced, beckoning Eileen forward.

“Got it,” she said, shifting her focus back to the boardwalk. Eileen had been a person of little words, and when she did talk, she spoke in a direct, no-nonsense manner, saying only what needed to be said. She couldn’t explain or remember why, but she felt aloof and withdrawn around others. Even though there was something awfully frightening about chatting with a sentient Venus flytrap (the fact that she had taken on the form of an insect only made matters worse), she pushed herself to be a tiny bit open to Dion. It was a stark contrast to the attitude she had displayed when she was sure she was dreaming, as if she only felt comfortable expressing herself candidly within the depths of her consciousness.

Eileen squinted as her eyes struggled to adjust to the harsh daylight outside of the dungeon. She regarded her surroundings, noticing that they had entered a lightly forested area. Dion pointed to a narrow dirt path that curved around the trees and said, “If we follow that, we’ll end up at Origin Plaza in no time. Arcanine’s Academy is only a short distance from there.”

Dion’s reminders about their location were starting to bother the Scyther. He sounded either like he was eager to get away from her, or like he had no idea where he was going and was trying to reassure himself. Eileen figured that he wanted to comfort her, but he wasn’t doing a very good job at it.

While the Carnivine had insisted that the trip from the bog to the town would be fast, Eileen found it somewhat strenuous. She was tense and stiff from her earlier panic, and she still hadn’t gotten the hang of being in a Scyther’s body. Although she walked upright, her legs were positioned much differently than a human’s—it was as if someone had sewn her hips right below where her ribs should’ve been. The thought of having an insect’s segmented body was becoming increasingly appalling as well.

To Eileen, the so-called Origin Plaza looked like something out of a fairytale. A bright yellow banner decorated with blotchy white stars cordially hung from a pair of trees at the town’s entrance. Wooden stands and carts and little shacks with timber frames bordered a wide, cobblestone road. The street was bustling with various Pokémon, all selling their wares or lazily browsing through the merchandise. The Scyther could see what appeared to be a small fortress in the distance. She looked on in fascination, admiring the quaint setting.

Dion shuffled behind her apprehensively, fretfully fiddling with his hands. It was strange, seeing as he had been hurriedly pushing her along just seconds ago. Eileen turned and gave him an inquiring stare. “What is it?” she demanded, looking from the Carnivine to the village and back.

The Bug Catcher Pokémon grinned uneasily. “Uh… never mind.” He floated off of the trail and hid behind a tree. He whispered, “You see, I wasn’t supposed to be exploring the Foreboding Bog. It’s dangerous to go hunting alone, and you haven’t been sorted into a team yet. ” Dion’s voice turned comically gruff, and Eileen guessed he was mocking Arcanine. “I didn’t think about the consequences. I probably should’ve looked before I leaped… Headmaster Arcanine is nice, but I’m still worried I might get in trouble. He might give me extra chores, or… what if he doesn’t let me become a hunter? No, that can’t happen!” The Carnivine looked very distressed.

Dion hadn’t explained the whole hunting business to her, but he clearly cared deeply about being enrolled in whatever Arcanine’s Academy was. The Scyther shrugged impassively. “Well, you can’t hide forever. If you never show up, then of course you’ll never get to be a hunter.”

“I guess you’re right. But if Arcanine says I can’t be a hunter… I just don’t know what I’d do.” He shook his head worriedly as he drifted out from behind the tree.

“What exactly is a hunter?” Eileen was eager to satisfy her curiosity. A mental image of a Carnivine clad in camouflage aiming a rifle at a Stantler popped into her head, and she laughed to herself as she pushed the thought away.

“Hunters explore the wilderness and plunder dungeons for loot and treasure!” Dion explained gleefully, as if the thought alone excited him. “That’s not all that’s expected of us, though. We also go on rescue missions, and sometimes we help apprehend criminals. I think we do that stuff because we’re supposed to know a lot about the land. I don’t really know, because I’m not exactly a student yet. But once I am, Headmaster Arcanine will teach me everything there is to know about being a hunter!”

“Huh,” Eileen mumbled. Dion was visibly upset with her response, and the Scyther immediately realized that he had been trying to get her interested in the academy. She felt slightly guilty, but she didn’t force herself to cheer him up. I don’t know how to respond to that. Based on how he described it, I’m certainly not hunter material. I would’ve thought he’d realize that… I can’t even walk in a straight line without stumbling. Even if I could, there’s still no way I’d be suited for that job. Eileen had never been very active or energetic, and instead she enjoyed engaging in activities where she could put her imagination to use.

Dion tried his best to sound happy. “Anyway, I think we should hurry. If I don’t show up soon, Headmaster Arcanine might send a rescue team after me!” He gazed at Origin Plaza meekly. “It’d be best if we avoided the town. We wouldn’t want to get caught up in the crowds.”

Eileen was a bit disappointed, but she obliged. She would’ve liked to stroll around the village and see what was being sold, though she knew Dion had a point. Chances are I’ll have plenty of time to check this place out later. We should just get this over with, so Dion doesn’t stress himself out. Besides, I should focus on finding out what happened to me. I still don’t think Headmaster Arcanine will be of much help, but window shopping certainly won’t get me anywhere at all.

The Scyther paused momentarily, letting her thoughts sink in. She had woken up as a giant insect in the middle of a swamp, and she wanted to go shopping ? It disturbed her how well she was adjusting to this bizarre environment. What next? Would she forget all about her old identity and go on living like she had been a Pokémon all her life? No, she couldn’t let that happen! But what could she possibly do? Eileen had already assured herself that there would be no way for Dion or Headmaster Arcanine to aid her—the only Pokémon who would be able to get her help was herself, and since she couldn’t see herself regaining her memories anytime soon, it was hopeless. Going with the flow and letting her mind recover at its own pace might have been her best option after all.

Aside from Dion’s mumblings about how close they were getting, the two of them kept quiet. The Carnivine seemed somewhat annoyed about Eileen’s reluctance to say anything, though the Scyther appreciated that he wasn’t pressuring her to talk. She felt bad about not being to speak up; Dion probably thought she was a very interesting Pokémon, and she couldn’t blame him for wanting to learn more about her. What was holding her back, especially when just moments ago she had presented herself as somewhat of a social butterfly? She thought back to Dion’s reactions to her joyful exclamations; the looks of doubt and ridicule he had shown her. Maybe that was why she felt she was better off not saying anything at all.

What did Dion think of her? The thought flustered Eileen, since he acted as if she was some kind of madwoman who desperately needed help. But Eileen knew very well that the way someone acted could be deceptive of his true nature; after all, the attitude she was showing Dion hardly resembled her real personality. She was too scared to confront him, and besides, a person could bend his words just as easily as he could disguise who he was on the inside. Not being able to know the truth frustrated the Scyther. Why couldn’t I have been turned into a Psychic-type Pokémon?

When a dubious-looking shed appeared in the distance, Eileen noticed that Dion was beginning to tense up. She didn’t question his trepidation—there was something undeniably ominous about the little shack and its isolated location. It was far from Origin Plaza, and it didn’t have any kind of path or road connecting it to the town. The shed was sloppily constructed out of rotting planks of wood and looked as if it would collapse if it were hit by even the slightest gust of wind. It had no windows, but light seeped in through big gaps in the wood. The only thing that detracted from its shifty appearance was the painfully bright blue paint the building was slathered with, but the odd contrast made it even more unnerving.

“This was a bad idea. Maybe we should’ve just gone through Origin Plaza,” Dion whimpered, gingerly gliding in the opposite direction. Eileen could almost see herself in the Carnivine’s fear, but she felt that his nervousness was at least justified. She had absolutely no reason to be afraid, and yet there was nothing she could do about it. Why couldn’t she go back to being who she had been when she first woke up? Better yet, why couldn’t she return to being her human self with her human memories? No matter how well she managed to adjust to this fascinating world, there was no way she’d ever not feel like a fish out of water. The kindly Dion took her as an oddball; she wasn’t anticipating seeing anyone else’s reactions to her predicament.

The Scyther let a small “Hmm?” slide from her throat, her eyes following his fretful movements. Dion acted like there was something even more frightening beyond the shack’s suspicious outer shell, which made Eileen wonder what could possibly be inside.

“That’s Manectric’s Academy! I’ve never seen it before, but it looks just like how Headmaster Arcanine described it. He told us to never go near the place,” Dion exclaimed in a hushed voice. “I should probably explain everything to you. See, Arcanine and Manectric aren’t really friends. It all started when Arcanine refused to accept Manectric into his academy. He thought she looked like an unsavory character, and judging by the look of her school, I think he was right. Manectric was angry, so she made her own hunting academy. Unlike Arcanine, she never denies anyone who wants to join, and because of that the place has been overrun by all sorts of bandits and crooks! It’s nothing more than a thieves’ guild.”

That’s an academy? Eileen stood with her head cocked to the side, an incredulous expression on her face. I don’t know what I was expecting. How could that place be overrun by criminals when it barely looks like it could fit a single Pokémon? Please tell me that’s not what Arcanine’s Academy is like.

As if he immediately understood the source of her confusion, Dion added, “That shack is the entrance to the academy. It’s all underground, like some kind of crazy tunnel complex. I think it suits them well.” He put his hand over his forehead and peered out into the horizon. “See that castle out there? That’s where we’re headed!”

Relieved, Eileen returned her gaze to the fortress she had spotted earlier. The edifice was certainly more noble-looking than the shady shed, and the way it appeared to tower over Origin Plaza gave it an inviting aura. The out-of-the-way Manectric’s Academy had a much more sinister, exclusive feel to it, which was odd considering how Dion stated that Manectric accepted anyone who applied. The Scyther mulled over what he had said previously, recalling that members of Arcanine’s Academy were expected to help catch wrongdoers. If that was true, then why hadn’t the so-called thieves’ guild been shut down? It made her wonder if Dion (or his headmaster) was simply making up stories about the rival school, but she agreed that there was definitely something fishy about it.

“Their names are Arcanine and Manectric?” Eileen thought it was strange; with that logic, shouldn’t she have been named Scyther and Dion Carnivine ? What would happen if Arcanine or Manectric met up with a fellow member of their species?

“Nah, those aren’t their real names,” Dion affirmed. “Truth be told, I don’t know what they actually are. Calling someone by the name of his species is courteous, but it’s reserved only for the most important, well-known Pokémon. It’s not the same as saying, “I found this Scyther in the middle of the Foreboding Bog”, though. Eh, you’ll understand when you get more accustomed to life as a Pokémon.” The Carnivine stared up at the sky dreamily. “Maybe if our hunting team gets famous enough, everyone will know us as Carnivine and Scyther.”

Dion blushed and covered his mouth as soon as the words came out. So he did want Eileen to join Arcanine’s Academy. It didn’t surprise her, but the fact that he seemed so genuinely embarrassed about it made her feel sorry for him. He had gotten the hint that she wasn’t interested, and yet he didn’t want to give up. What did he see in her that made her so appealing as a hunter? Eileen guessed it was merely desperation—he probably couldn’t find anyone else who would be willing to join his hunting team. But who in his right mind would want to work with a Scyther who knew nothing about being a Pokémon?

“Forget that I said that,” he mumbled apologetically, shaking his head in shame. The Carnivine sighed dejectedly before saying, “But if you’re not going to join the academy, what are you going to do once everything’s been figured out?”

Eileen blinked, taken aback. He had a point—where was she supposed to go? In this world, she didn’t have a family to live with, so as of now she was homeless. The array of shops in Origin Plaza confirmed that this world ran on some kind of currency; how could she expect to survive without a source of income? The thought of living on the streets terrified the Scyther, and even though she didn’t know exactly what enrolling in Arcanine’s Academy would mean for her, it seemed like her only option at the time.

“I don’t know,” Eileen admitted sullenly. Uttering those three words was almost instinctive for her when she was too nervous to say her thoughts aloud. Oftentimes she did have an idea of what she wanted to say; the problem stemmed from how she didn’t know how to put it into words. She felt more comfortable feigning cluelessness and letting others make their own conclusions than she did taking the time to string her feelings into comprehensible sentences.

Dion looked a little bit more hopeful. “You have time. Maybe you can make up your mind after you meet Headmaster Arcanine.” Eileen wondered what Arcanine was like. The Carnivine claimed he was nice, but at the same time he acted like he was afraid of him. Dion still appeared to idolize him, which led her to imagine him as a mighty Pokémon brimming with knowledge—an easygoing, even-tempered teacher who knew when to be strict. The thought made the Scyther feel a little more at ease, and she prayed he would understand her quandaries.

A small drawbridge was suspended over a nonexistent moat at the front of the fortress, and red flags waved from atop the spires. Eileen marveled at the architecture, amazed that such a complex structure had been built by a race of creatures that often lacked digits and didn’t appear to have very much technology. She followed Dion into the building and leisurely strolled down a narrow burgundy carpet as she took in her surroundings. The castle’s interior was notably cooler than it was outside, the dark gray stone walls guarding against the heat. It was lit by a number of torches, but it still retained a moderately gloomy atmosphere. Yellowed maps were plastered against the walls. At the edge of the carpet was a tall stairway that led to a balcony which hung along the perimeter of the room. Two wide doorways were carved at either side of the staircase, and a third one stood at the top.

Eileen skeptically glanced over her shoulder at the open drawbridge. You’d think their security would be tighter, since, you know, there’s a thieves’ guild within walking distance. Anybody could mosey right in.

Dion grew equally concerned when he caught a glimpse of the Scyther’s perplexed expression. “This isn’t good,” he choked, clapping his hands against his face. “Headmaster Arcanine must have noticed that I’m missing, and now he’s going to go out looking for me!” The Carnivine’s panic temporarily subsided. “But if the drawbridge is still down, that means nobody’s left yet. Still, Arcanine’s bound to be upset with me!”

He worries too much, thought Eileen scornfully, ignoring how she was just as likely to become stressed out. While Dion didn’t hesitate to speak up about his troubles, Eileen had a habit of keeping hers bottled up inside. The Scyther wished she could be that open about what was on her mind.

Eileen cringed when Headmaster Arcanine emerged at the top of the stairs, startled by his daunting appearance. His left eye had been violently gouged out, and he had a long gash down his nose. Tufts of fur had been unevenly ripped from his muzzle, leaving scaly bald patches along the sides of his face. His ears had been reduced to tattered shreds. His jaw was slightly twisted, and a single yellow fang poked from the side of his mouth. An old olive green scarf was snugly wrapped around his neck. Though his imposing figure had been tarnished by age, muscles still rippled beneath his faded pelt.

The elderly Pokémon swiveled his head around, glaring at the two newcomers below. He arched his back, his feathery tail swishing back and forth ardently. Curling his lip back, he snarled, “I thought I vanquished you years ago! Have you come back for more? Aye, don’t think I’ll go easy on you because I’m old!” He spoke in a low, husky voice, which made him even more intimidating. Arcanine leaped from the top step using his powerful hind legs, impressively hitting the ground on all fours.

“What?” Dion whipped around, only to find that no one was behind him. “Headmaster, what is it? Are you all right?” Was it normal for the owner of the hunting academy to fly into such explosive fits of rage? Eileen had thought that “hunting” referred to searching for treasure, not killing other Pokémon. She suddenly understood why Dion had been so scared.

“Step aside, lad!” Arcanine ordered brazenly, ducking his head. “Wouldn’t want to see ya get hurt. I ought to settle a score with this scoundrel on my own.”

Fear pounded in Eileen’s heart. If she and Dion were the only ones there, then Arcanine had to be talking about her. But what did he mean? How could he be “settling a score” if they had never met before? Eileen wasn’t even from this world! It made her think back to how Dion theorized that she was simply a Scyther with amnesia. If that were true, then where had her fragmented human memories come from?

Arcanine growled as smoke billowed from his paws and his entire body became engulfed in flame. Petrified, Eileen’s brain barely processed what was unfolding in front of her. “Eileen!” she heard Dion scream in the background. “Don’t just stand there! Get out of the way!” The Scyther’s eyes were glued to her assailant, and she couldn’t make herself look away for even a heartbeat. Trying to move out of the way would be hopeless; she knew she wouldn’t be fast enough. Scyther were supposed to be exceptionally quick, and yet Eileen’s movements were cumbersome and slow. All she could do was stare at her fiery opponent as he pushed off the ground, the impending danger transporting her into a surreal world where time seemed to lag.

The headmaster split open his mouth as he soared through the air, exposing ugly pink gums that were mostly free of teeth. That detail didn’t matter much to Eileen; his overwhelming size and jaw strength could still allow him to crush the Scyther’s neck. The fact that he was shrouded in fire made matters even worse, especially since Eileen was a Bug-type. She uncertainly braced herself for the impact, having never dealt with such a massive threat before. The Scyther was thrown back to reality when something squeezed around her torso and yanked her off her feet seconds before Arcanine’s jaws could close around her neck. The headmaster’s flame cloak was extinguished as he collided with the ground and rolled across the cold stone floor.

Shaken, Eileen timidly looked up, and it occurred to her that Dion had saved her again. The Carnivine swiftly furled his vines and shouted, “This is your chance! Run while he’s down!” Nodding rapidly in silent agreement, the Mantis Pokémon shifted her body to the side and was struck by an aching sensation. He didn’t even hit me! Eileen scolded herself. If I get hurt from falling down, there’s no way I’m going to survive as a Pokémon. Enduring the pain, she pulled herself to her feet.

Once she was standing, Eileen turned her attention back to her enemy. To her horror, she saw that Dion had glided up behind him and was preparing to launch an attack of his own. The vine-like tendrils burst from the base of Carnivine’s neck, lengthening until he could ensnare Arcanine’s forelegs. “Headmaster, sir, please calm down!” he pleaded as he attempted to restrain him.

Ignoring Dion’s frantic words, Arcanine bucked and reared before frenziedly dashing across the room, dragging the Carnivine along with him. Dion wailed loudly as the headmaster sprinted in loops, reaching speeds that should have been unattainable for someone his age. When he showed no signs of slowing down, Dion cried, “Eileen, make him stop!”

Which is it? I can’t do both! Watching Arcanine run in circles made Eileen’s head spin, and she realized that Dion was nearly as incompetent as she was. The hardy Carnivine was at least able to make an honest effort; Eileen was too cowardly to do anything. She defensively raised her scythes into the air, staring at them absently. How was she supposed to help? If she hit the rampant Arcanine with a blade, the force would probably rip her arm clean off. Did she have any moves that would allow her to strike from a distance? How was she supposed to know what types of attacks she could use?

He’ll tire out eventually, won’t he? Evidently, that was not the case. Dion continued to yowl at the top of his lungs as he hung on for dear life. Eileen found it strange that Arcanine had seemingly forgotten all about her—was he that easily distracted? She was becoming convinced that he didn’t actually have a specific target in mind and was attacking at random, even though he initially boasted that he was going to take her down. What was the matter with him? Did he have some form of dementia?

“This is getting tiresome,” scoffed a sly, nasally female voice. Eileen tracked the noise to the balcony, where a small group of Pokémon was assembled—most likely some students enrolled in the academy. Had they been standing there the entire time? The thought made Eileen scowl. The speaker, a Yamask, commanded, “Go do something about it, Sheldon.”

“Yes, milady,” muttered a rather bored sounding Shelmet. He tilted his head back before spewing a glob of purple sludge onto the floor below. Arcanine carelessly bounded into the slippery puddle, causing him to slide across the floor and collide with the wall face-first. Dion squealed as he too was sent crashing into the hard surface, and once he had recovered he dazedly used the opportunity to let go. Dizzy, the Carnivine fearfully hovered toward Eileen.

The Yamask smugly dipped her head in approval. “This will do the trick,” she asserted as she vanished into the wall. She reappeared in front of the headmaster, her eyes glowing menacingly. Arcanine locked eyes with the Spirit Pokémon, a sudden look of terror overcoming his expression.

“Huh?” he barked in alarm, jumpily springing to his feet. “Cleo, what are you doing? What just happened?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the Yamask named Cleo groaned, rolling her eyes. “You nearly killed Dion and some Scyther.”

“A Scyther?” the headmaster growled, a sneer forming on his face.

“Snap out of it!” Cleo hissed, slapping him in the nose with her mask. Eileen was shocked by the lack of respect the Yamask was showing—then again, she didn’t feel like Arcanine deserved any after what he had done. He acted more like a wild animal than anything else, and Eileen didn’t get why he was in charge of a school.

A frown creased Arcanine’s lips. “My apologies,” he articulated guiltily. Shaking off the sludge, he spun around. When he made eye contact with the Scyther, she was certain he would charge again, but to her relief he remained calm. Eileen could tell by the angry gleam in his eye that he was doing everything he could to hold himself back. “Who is this Scyther and why is she here?” he demanded through bared teeth.

“Headmaster, I…” Dion hesitated. “… I found her in the Foreboding Bog. She was unconscious, and she says she’s lost her memory. She needs your help, Headmaster!” Eileen glared at the Carnivine crossly. Why didn’t he say anything about how she had formerly been human? She didn’t care if he believed her or not; by not mentioning her conviction, he was evading half of the problem.

“The Foreboding Bog?” gasped Cleo unconvincingly as she returned to the balcony. “Dion, what in the world were you thinking? Why would you bring someone here from that swamp? Everyone knows that the Foreboding Bog is home to a clan of cannibals! The thing about her having lost her memory—surely it’s a trick!”

“W-what are you talking about?” Dion stammered, looking Eileen up and down. “She isn’t a cannibal!”

“Hush,” Arcanine retorted. Trembling, he turned to the Scyther. “I’d like to speak with you in private. You come too, Dion.” Eileen bit her lip. She didn’t feel safe following the unpredictable headmaster; what if he attacked again? And if she and Dion went away from the other students, who would be there to rescue them? Eileen tentatively glanced at Dion when Arcanine started to head for the stairs, and the Carnivine awkwardly beckoned her forward. Bitterly grumbling to herself, the Mantis Pokémon followed the headmaster up the stairs.

“Aren’t you going to thank us?” Cleo snapped as Dion went by. “You and your cannibal friend would be dead if it we didn’t intervene.” Sheldon and a third Pokémon, a Karrablast, stood by her, peering at Dion expectantly.

The Carnivine dropped his gaze to the ground. “Thanks, Team Masquerade.”

“You’re welcome!” Cleo purred snidely, closing her eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we were assigned a mission in Nightshade Tower. It’s a pity you can’t come along.”

Eileen shook her head somberly. I guess you can’t escape bullies, not even in the Pokémon world. She found it hard to take the Yamask’s petty jeers seriously, but her mean-spirited attitude caused an explosion of images to flash through Eileen’s mind. The Scyther whined as a series of faces—human faces—overtook her vision and a chorus of voices rang in her ears. She couldn’t tell what they were saying, but she instantly recognized who they were: the bullies she had encountered as a human. It was as if just thinking of the word had been enough to bring back her memories, and though they were still reasonably hazy, they left Eileen feeling small and weak.

She was given a hint of an idea as to why she was so reserved and quiet, but she didn’t understand why she had acted that way before her memories returned. Perhaps the behavior was so ingrained in her nature that it would stay with her no matter what. It gave her an ounce of hope; it meant that her memories weren’t truly gone for good. Eileen tried to make herself recall her family, but to no avail—she guessed she’d need to see something reminiscent of them to trigger the memories, much like how Cleo’s rude remarks reminded her of her experiences with bullying.

“Eileen?” Dion agitatedly prodded the Scyther’s shoulder, and she realized that she had been standing there the whole time. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” Eileen lied. She knew it’d be wise to tell him about what happened, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Besides, why should she bother talking about her human memories in front of him if he didn’t believe her?

“If you say so,” the Carnivine said with a shrug.

Humming merrily, Arcanine led the young Pokémon around a corner and down a long corridor. The left wall was lined with three small rooms, all sealed with sturdy wooden doors; the right wall was bare. The headmaster stopped when he reached a door on the far wall and gently pushed it open with his nose. Eileen let Dion pass in front of her before entering the room, planning to stay as near to the exit as she could.

Though the room was spacious, the stacks of crates and sacks littering the area made it appear cramped and crowded. Arcanine lowered himself onto his haunches in a clear spot in the center of the floor, his giant form leaving little room for Dion and Eileen. “So,” the headmaster began, “you found this Scyther in the Foreboding Bog, and she can’t remember anything?”

Dion bobbed his head. “Her name is Eileen, and she can remember some things, but not much.” Eileen cast him another angry glance when he failed to bring up her past a second time.

“Interesting,” Arcanine murmured, languidly thumping his tail against the floor. “Well, Eileen, I’m truly sorry about what happened earlier. I have a hard time controlling myself sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I’m not capable of running this academy!” He twisted his head around, showing off his missing eye. “See this? I lost this eye in a brawl with a Scyther! Or maybe it was a Kabutops, or a Zangoose… my memory isn’t much better than yours is, lass!” Arcanine let out a booming laugh, but neither of the other Pokémon joined him.

“We were wondering if you could help her,” Dion explained uneasily.

“What do I look like, a doctor?” The headmaster continued to chuckle. “Hmm, my guess would be she’s suffering from a concussion. No need to worry; she should recover on her own in a few days.”

“That sounds about right,” the Carnivine agreed. “I found her near some rocks; she must’ve hit her head.” He cheerfully turned to Eileen. “Hey, that’s good news! You’ll be thinking clearly again soon!”

Eileen couldn’t take it anymore. Mustering all her courage, she proclaimed, “He’s forgetting something. I’m not a Scyther. I’m a human.”

 

[SuperTrainStationH]

In the sheer volume of content here I overlooked this when it was first posted early this year, and just read the first chapter.

The description of the swamp really hooked me, I enjoyed reading that.

I laughed out loud when Eileen reasoned that she was lucid dreaming. I know "omg i must be dreaming" is the stock reaction in most of these PMD type things, but in this context the lucid dreaming reference comes off to me as almost tongue in cheek, yet extremely natural and believable, and more importantly it probably gives me a idea of what kind of person Eileen might have been before she ended up in the Pokémon World. And given the audience for this fic, it's probably something a lot of them can relate to.

As for the rest of the chapter, it was fun seeing Eileen trying to figure out how her new body works and trying to get a handle of swimming and flying and such. It may seem obvious but I've noticed a lot of PMD fics somehow manage to omit or overlook this.

Anyway, the first chapter was a very fun read to me, and while ideas for improvement have already been discussed and could certainly be considered, as it is, I feel it was very well written and it was a pleasure.

 

[Ahnyo]

Spoiler

Thanks for the feedback!

I apologize if this chapter feels like it's missing something; it was originally a lot longer, but I had to cut it in half due to its length. The second part will hopefully be up very soon.

Chapter Three - The Team with No Name

​

When the room fell dead silent, Eileen immediately regretted speaking up. Her face turned hot under the incredulous stares of Dion and the headmaster, and she had to do everything she could to keep herself from walking straight out the door. She had been anticipating something like this to happen, but at the same time she had a grain of hope that it would go differently.

What frustrated the Scyther the most was how Dion was feigning a look of ridicule—he was acting like he had only just learned of her predicament, and it made her feel like she had been betrayed. When she first met Dion, he had presented himself in a way that made it seem as if he truly cared for her sake. Why had his attitude suddenly changed after meeting up with Arcanine? It was like he was trying to satisfy whoever he deemed superior at the moment by mirroring his or her concerns, as if he was incapable of thinking for himself. Eileen was gradually losing faith in the foolish Carnivine, and she was beginning to wish she had never trusted him in the first place.

Arcanine finally broke the silence. “A human, you say?” He narrowed his eye inquiringly, and for a heartbeat Eileen thought he was going to take her seriously. “Well, that’s certainly new! I’ve never heard of a human becoming a Scyther before. Lass, humans don’t even exist in this world, not anymore! You could try talking to Cleo about it, but… it’s a touchy subject. As for you, surely you must be delusional! Like I said, just give it a few days and you’ll be back to normal.”

No, I won’t, Eileen retaliated in her head, resentment boiling inside of her. It would be no use to try arguing with him; she knew she wouldn’t be strong enough to stand up for herself. Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter what he thinks, anyway. She had told herself again and again that she was the only one who’d be able to solve her problem, so unless Arcanine somehow knew a way to change her back into a human, what he believed wouldn’t affect her recovery. At least he’s willing to accept that I’ve lost my memory. Maybe he can help me learn more about this world, the Scyther thought with a tinge of optimism.

“Headmaster, do you think she could stay here until she gets her memory back?” Dion asked in a pleading voice, which reminded Eileen of a child begging his father to let him keep a stray dog.

“I don’t see why not,” answered Arcanine. “Why, if she wants, I could even allow her to enroll. She looks like she’d make a fine student, and perhaps my lessons will help jog her memory. Plus, Dion, if she chooses to work with you, you’d finally be able to join a hunting team!” He turned his broad head toward the Scyther. “So, Eileen, what do you say?”

It was hard for Eileen to ignore Dion’s puppy-dog eyes, partially because they looked so bizarre on the face of a living Venus flytrap. Even though she was mad at him, she didn’t think what he did was severe enough to warrant having his dreams crushed. The headmaster’s offer was also especially tempting, and she couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d be able to gain that knowledge. She still didn’t feel very comfortable around Arcanine, but she’d be even worse off if she was left to roam the streets. “All right,” she said, shooting Dion a sideways glance.

“Really?” the Bug Catcher Pokémon squeaked gleefully. “Oh man, this is going to be awesome! I was so scared you’d say no. We’re going to make a great hunting team!” Seeing Dion’s enthusiasm didn’t lighten Eileen’s mood—all she could do was worry about whether she had made the right decision and if there was a better option available. To her relief, Dion was too caught up in his excitement to notice the reluctance in her expression.

“Very well,” Arcanine approved, bowing his head. “Registration is a simple process. I just need to know your team name, and then I’ll get you started on your first lesson.”

That’s it? No permission slips or background checks or anything? If he just lets anybody join, why did he end up rejecting Manectric? Eileen looked at Dion to see if he was sharing her confusion, only for to remember that he had been part of the academy beforehand. He could’ve gone through those formalities when he first joined, and since Arcanine knew Eileen had some form of amnesia, there was no point in making her provide that information.

“Our team name?” Dion echoed, turning to the Scyther. “Got any ideas? I’m no good with names.”

“I don’t know,” was her immediate response, and for once she was genuinely clueless about what to think. She knew she shouldn’t have cared, but she actually wanted to choose a name that accurately represented the two of them. “Team Hopeless Idiots” doesn’t exactly have a ring to it. I’ll have to think outside the box. Eileen glanced from Dion to herself, observing that their bodies were both mostly green in color. Naming ourselves after a color would be pretty lame, though. Why can’t I think of anything cool, like that snotty Yamask’s team name? She wished Dion would come up with something so she wouldn’t have to carry the guilt of having named their team something silly.

“Would it be okay if we had some time to think about it, Headmaster?” the Carnivine requested. “We’re just so excited to get started on our first lesson!”

Speak for yourself, Eileen hissed mentally.

“Fine, take your time. I understand just how important a team’s name can be,” Arcanine replied with a smile. “Now, wait here a second while I gather your supplies. Oh, and please don’t touch anything.” Eileen and Dion automatically stepped out of the way when the headmaster stood up, and they watched as the elderly Pokémon trotted out the door with youthful vigor.

“I wonder what we’ll have to do,” Dion whispered once Arcanine had left. Eileen couldn’t help but ask herself the same question. What kind of supplies was the headmaster bringing them? If this academy was anything like the schools she remembered attending, she couldn’t imagine being able to hold a pencil and take notes.

She hadn’t put very much thought into the fact that she no longer possessed hands, and it was just beginning to sink in how horrible it’d be. Although having weapons for arms sounded cool at first, there were so many things she would be unable to do now. Eileen had already seen how her new limbs affected her ability to tread water, but that was hardly the only problem they’d give her. I’ll never be able to hold onto anything, or shake someone’s hand, or scratch an itch, or… oh lord, what will happen after I go to the bathroom? Eileen didn’t even know if toilet paper existed in the world of Pokémon, which left her equally horrified.

Arcanine plodded back into the room, a brown sack dangling from his jaws. A small bronze medallion with what appeared to be an embossed treasure chest in its center was hooked to the bag. “Here ya go,” the headmaster declared, dropping the sack at the students’ feet. Carelessly tossing his old bag aside, Dion snatched it off the floor and peered into it curiously. “Inside you’ll find a map, some first-aid supplies, and a thousand Poké to get you started. Attached to your bag is your official hunters’ badge, and please remember that I have the right to revoke that badge and your duty as hunters if I catch you failing to adhere to this academy’s code of conduct. Am I clear?”

No, you’re really not, Eileen objected. What code of conduct? Hello, I only joined this academy a few minutes ago! The Scyther wasn’t sure whether the old headmaster was being ignorant or forgetful, but he was getting on her nerves more and more with every word he spoke. Unless the academy’s rules were exceptionally strict, she didn’t have much reason to be concerned. Docile and unassuming, Eileen had never been much of a troublemaker.

“Yes, sir!” the Carnivine shouted, saluting his headmaster. “What are we going to do for our first lesson?”

“My, you really are eager, aren’t ya?” chortled Arcanine cheerily. To Dion’s puzzlement, the headmaster swiped the bag out of his hands and poked his muzzle into it. He withdrew a roll of parchment and unfolded it, revealing what Eileen assumed was the map he had mentioned. It looked as if it had been drawn with dull oil pastels; the symbols representing various landmarks were smudged, and there were no words or a key to distinguish different areas of the land. Eileen thought she could’ve made a better map, if only she wouldn’t end up tearing it to shreds if she did so much as touch it.

“There,” rasped Arcanine, setting a claw on a gray lump toward the center of the paper. Eileen and Dion had to lean in close to see what he was pointing at. “For your first assignment, I want you to travel to Emerald Grotto and fetch me a green gem.” He lightly traced a short line on the map. “Emerald Grotto is just a brisk walk away from Origin Plaza. Head north until you reach a small grove—you’ll find the cave in the middle of it.”

Eileen had to keep her jaw from dropping. That was their first lesson? We’re already going on a field trip? What happened to first day lectures? The walk from the swamp to the academy had been enough to tire her out; she couldn’t imagine going for another hike so soon after. She almost wished she was being expected to take notes, if only so she could avoid getting more exercise. The Scyther glanced at Dion, only to find that he had a gleeful expression plastered on his face.

“We won’t let you down, Headmaster!” the Bug Catcher Pokémon exclaimed jollily.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep, retorted the cynical Scyther, shaking her head in disapproval.

“Great.” Arcanine grinned, revealing what remained of his ugly yellow teeth. Shoving the crudely drawn map back into the bag, he added, “I recommend making a stop at Origin Plaza before you head out. While I’ve provided you with some supplies, you might want to pick up some specialty items.”

“Good idea.” Giggling, Dion turned to Eileen. “You were looking at Origin Plaza like it was full of treasure. I can’t wait to see your face when we find some real loot!” There was something endearing about the Carnivine’s innocence—it was like listening to a small child talk about what he wanted to be when he grew up, and just like a child, he appeared to be oblivious to the harshness of reality. While Eileen knew very little about what was expected of hunters, she figured their lives couldn’t be as simple as how Dion imagined them to be. He only talked about finding treasures, not whatever work or experience went into getting that far. Did he not understand that not everything in life would be handed to him for free?

Dion stuck his face into the bag as he and his partner ambled out of the room. “It was so nice of Headmaster Arcanine to give us a thousand Poké. Just think of the things we could buy will all that money!” Eileen wondered how the word’s currency compared to the system she was used to.

“What kinds of things do they sell in Origin Plaza?” the Scyther asked quietly, approaching the stairs.

“Oh, anything you can think of!” Dion shouted, beaming. “I’ve never been much of a shopper myself, but that’s because my family’s never really trusted me with money. Now that I finally have some of my own, Origin Plaza’s going to feel like a whole different place.”

How did Pokémon normally make money in this world? Aside from working as a hunter or running a shop, Eileen could only think of a few other career options: there had to be farmers out there somewhere, and probably artisans to craft the wares sold in town. With so many different types of Pokémon in the world, she couldn’t help but theorize that some species held advantages over others in certain fields. How could a Scyther like her expect to handle goods or do nimble work with its hands? What kinds of jobs would a Pokémon like Roggenrola be capable of? Was a Pokémon’s standing in society based on its species? Eileen didn’t think it was very fair—but then again, few things ever were.

“When was the last time you had anything to eat? You must be starving,” Dion observed.

Eileen had been too overwhelmed to acknowledge the emptiness in her stomach—the mouthfuls of disgusting water she had gulped down earlier were the only things she had ingested since her transformation into a Pokémon, and she had no idea when the last time she had eaten before that had been. She gave a guilty nod, staring down at her abdomen.

“In that case, we should head over to Slurpuff’s Shop,” said Dion. “She sells all sorts of delicious things! Berries, fruit, vegetables… oh, and you haven’t lived ‘til you’ve tried her Gummis!”

The Scyther raised a brow as her teammate spoke, finding it odd that a talking Venus flytrap would mention eating plants. Was there any kind of meat available in this world? If every species of Pokémon was equally intelligent, she couldn’t imagine any of them being butchered and consumed—that, or cannibalism must’ve been more prevalent than Cleo made it seem. Was it even truly cannibalism if one species ate another?

Anxiety overcoming her body, Eileen tensed her muscles as Dion led her into Origin Plaza. Although it was difficult for her to think of the Pokémon mulling about the town as anything more than animals, their presence made her feel self-conscious. It was different than her confrontations with Dion, Headmaster Arcanine, and Team Masquerade—none of the Pokémon in the town knew anything about her situation, and they probably never would. To Eileen, it didn’t matter if she’d never meet them again—they were still there in the present, probably making all sorts of nasty comments about her in their minds. They didn’t understand why she was walking in such an ungainly manner, or why she reeked of swamp water. They must think there’s something wrong with me, the Scyther thought as she timidly ducked her head.

Dion froze to survey his surroundings. “I haven’t been here in such a long time… I can’t even remember where Slurpuff’s Shop is. If only Arcanine had given us a map of Origin Plaza!” The Carnivine crossed his leafy arms in vexation. “I’m pretty sure it’s on the other side of town. If you see any shops you’d like to visit on the way, just say so!”

With all the stress piling up in her head, Eileen had hardly taken notice of the stores around her. She absently looked around, trying to distract herself from her fears. None of the banners hanging over the market stalls had any writing on them—just simple pictures, like signs one would find in a medieval village where most of the population was illiterate. Thinking back to the map Arcanine had shown her, she realized that the Pokémon world must have not had a written language.

Though it made sense, the revelation left the Scyther feeling distraught. She felt much more confident communicating through writing than she did by speaking aloud. When writing, she didn’t have to worry about stumbling over her words or being expected to respond quickly—she liked having the time to fully process her thoughts and deliver a thorough statement. Eileen was paranoid of misspeaking, and she had a hard time accepting that most others wouldn’t judge her over her mistakes.

It occurred to her that she wasn’t even sure what language she was thinking in. Was it the language she understood when she was human? Had she automatically become fluent in whatever Pokémon spoke upon being transported to their world? Everything sounded the same to her.

“What’s that store?” Eileen pointed a scythe at a flamboyant red and white tent with a board featuring a drawing of a blue circle. The illustration reminded the Scyther of a fortune teller’s crystal ball.

Dion pensively brought his hand to his chin, as if he couldn’t figure out what it was, either. Several seconds later, he answered, “Oh, that’s Toxicroak’s Orb Emporium. Toxicroak says he’s got an Orb for just about anything!” He leaned toward his teammate and whispered, “Maybe there’s a Wonder Orb that will make you a human again.”

Fed up with the lack of seriousness in Dion’s voice, Eileen muttered, “And Wonder Orbs are…?” In spite of the Carnivine’s mockery, Eileen clung to the chance that his words were genuine. In a world where plants can talk and people wake up as praying mantis-velociraptor hybrids, I suppose anything is possible.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what they are,” the Bug Catcher Pokémon admitted. “I think they’re made by sealing a Pokémon’s move in a special capsule. Like, a Rocky Orb contains Rock Tomb and a Blowback Orb has Whirlwind trapped inside. Basically, they let Pokémon use moves that they wouldn’t normally be able to use. The catch is that they can only be used once.”

Something tells me there isn’t a move that turns a Pokémon into a human, Eileen concluded glumly. Regardless, the concept interested her, and she considered that she might’ve been able to learn more about using moves from whoever ran the shop. “Can we go in?”

“Sure!” The Scyther thought it was strange how Dion went back and forth between addressing her with ridicule and speaking to her kindly. Maybe he expected her to perceive his teasing as a joke, like something that would be exchanged between close friends—the problem was that Eileen had only just met Dion, and she didn’t know enough about him to think of him as anything more than an acquaintance. The way the other Pokémon at the academy treated him and his eagerness toward working with someone as incapable as her led Eileen to suspect that he had never had a friend before.

The interior of Toxicroak’s Orb Emporium was lit by a number of glowing Orbs, all of which were stacked on top of plywood shelves. Eileen did a double take when her eyes landed on a pulsating red orb, which she then identified as the shopkeeper’s throat.

Toxicroak lumbered over to his potential customers, his mouth stretched into a sly grin. “Hello, hello! I hope you’re planning on buying something.” Eileen cringed at the sound of his grating, croaky voice. “Remember: look, don’t touch. Some of these Orbs are quite sensitive, you see. One time, some oaf thought it’d be funny to set off a Trawl Orb. I can assure you he wasn’t laughing when I used a Petrify Orb on him.”

“It must be hard to look after a store like this,” Dion mused empathetically, gazing at an Orb filled with yellow clouds.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it! Petty customers think they’re so clever…” The Toxic Mouth Pokémon groaned and shook his head. “So, what can I do for you folks?”

“You wouldn’t happen to have an Orb that could turn someone into a human, would you?” the Carnivine asked casually. Eileen shot him an incredulous look—had he actually been serious? Was he merely trying to humor his teammate’s bizarre concerns, or was he honestly trying to help her?

“A what?” Toxicroak hollered, mirroring the Scyther’s expression. He paused to think, and then remarked, “Would a “human” be considered a consumable good?”

Neither of the Pokémon responded.

“Ah, never mind! Itemizer Orbs were banned from Origin Plaza a few years ago. Good riddance, I say! Darn things could’ve run me out of business—if you used the Itemizer Orbs to turn Pokémon into Itemizer Orbs, there’d be no need for me!”

It intrigued Eileen how knowledge of humans differed between Pokémon. Toxicroak acted as if he had never heard of them before, Dion insisted they were make-believe, and Arcanine implied that they had once lived in this world. The headmaster had also suggested bringing the subject to Cleo—could she possibly know something about Eileen’s fate? The Scyther knew she wouldn’t be brave enough to approach the snobbish Yamask, but the idea was tempting.

“All right, then,” Dion murmured awkwardly. “Well, I’d feel bad if I left without buying anything. My teammate and I are going on our first mission for Headmaster Arcanine—what would you recommend?”

“How exciting,” the shopkeeper commented with a tinge of apathy. “I should probably get you newbies started with something simple. I could’ve been cruel and offered you a House Orb, but you haven’t gotten on my nerves quite yet. What about an Escape Orb?”

“What’s that do?” inquired Dion.

Toxicroak sighed. “It’s pretty self-explanatory: it allows you to instantly warp out of a dungeon and return to someplace familiar. If you’re feeling tired or beat-up in the middle of a mission, an Escape Orb can be a real lifesaver.”

“That sounds like it could be really helpful. We’ll take it.” The Carnivine began rummaging through his bag.

“Right-o. That will be 150 Poké.”

“Uh, here you go.” Dion withdrew three golden coins from the bag and warily dropped them into Toxicroak’s hand, his eyes locked on the menacing red claw protruding from his knuckle. The Carnivine yelped and threw his arms into the air when the shopkeeper abruptly clenched his fist.

Toxicroak sniggered and headed for the back wall. He snatched a black Orb with a ball of blue light at its core off of a shelf and slipped it into Dion’s hand. “Please handle it with care; I’d advise not letting your Scyther friend touch it. Say, did you use a Silence Orb on her when I wasn’t looking? I’m gonna have to charge you extra for that, buddy.”

Dion cried, “What? I didn’t touch anything! She’s just really shy!”

The Toxic Mouth Pokémon rolled his eyes. “Calm down, calm down. Can’t you take a joke? Gee, I’m not that desperate for cash.”

Humiliated, Dion wordlessly stuffed the Escape Orb into his bag. “Thanks,” he mumbled meekly, hovering toward the exit. “Come on, Eileen. Let’s go look for Slurpuff’s Shop.”

The Scyther nodded and followed her teammate out of the tent. I didn’t learn anything about using moves, but at least we got something out of our visit. Dion’s right: it does sound like an Escape Orb would come in handy. I want to spend as little time in that dungeon as possible. Dion’s easily fooled, so I might be able to trick him into making us leave early.

Slurpuff’s Shop wasn’t nearly as extravagant as Toxicroak’s Orb Emporium. Consisting of a small wooden cart covered by a pink awning and several barrels brimming with fresh produce, it resembled a simple farm stand. The shopkeeper perked up at the sight of the hunters. “Hello there, Dion!” she greeted amiably, waving her stubby arm in a vigorous fashion. “Who’s that you’ve got with you?”

“Hi, Slurpuff! You still remember my name after all this time?” The Carnivine looked impressed. “This is my teammate, Eileen!”

The Mantis Pokémon limply lifted her arm before deciding it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to wave back.

“Of course I do, Dion! I could never forget the name of one of my customers!” Slurpuff declared. “So you finally got sorted into a hunting team? Why, that’s wonderful news! I’d give you some Gummis to celebrate, but it appears that I’ve run out of stock.” Slurpuff lowered her head sadly.

“Out of stock?” the Carnivine whimpered in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.

“Yes, I’m completely out of stock. You know how fast those things sell!” The Meringue Pokémon’s cheeriness quickly returned. “On the bright side, I should be getting a fresh shipment of Gummis tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s great! We’ll be sure to stop by after we’ve finished our assignment tomorrow,” Dion promised. As if he had just remembered why he had stopped at the store in the first place, he continued, “Eileen’s really hungry, and she can’t even remember the last time she had something to eat!”

“Oh dear!” the shopkeeper gasped, facing Eileen. “No wonder you look so out of it! You poor thing—nothing’s worse than an empty stomach!” Slurpuff reached over the counter and plucked a medium-sized blue and yellow berry from one of the barrels. “Here, have a Chesto Berry! That’ll be sure to wake you up!”

Eileen tentatively accepted the fruit, carefully jabbing its firm flesh with her scythe. Placing it on the tip of her tongue, she crushed it against the roof of her mouth and immediately gagged at the taste. Its flavor was similar to a chestnut’s, though it had a tough, chewy texture. Disgusted, Eileen pushed the berry to the back of her mouth and forced it down her throat.

Noticing the Scyther’s revulsion, Slurpuff admitted, “It’s an acquired taste, but it’ll make you feel so much better!” She set a huge basket of assorted fruits in front of Eileen. “One Chesto Berry certainly isn’t enough to fill your belly, so here, eat up! I promise these are a lot tastier.”

Eileen scanned the berries hungrily, unable to recognize any of them. The Scyther was excited about trying so many new foods, though she couldn’t help but fear that they’d taste as unpleasant as the Chesto Berry. When she reached for the basket, Slurpuff scolded, “Don’t use your blades, sweetie! Just stick your face in and enjoy!”

Shrugging, Eileen complied. She leaned forward and sank her fangs into a large pink fruit, which to her relief tasted much better than the Chesto Berry. It was very sweet, like a sugarcoated peach, and it had the juiciness to match. Wanting to savor the delicious fruit, she chewed slowly and swished it around in her mouth—and when the mashed berry slid out of her jaws, it hit her that she no longer had cheeks. That’s definitely going to take some getting used to. She gave the fruit a blank stare, her face hot with embarrassment.

Concerned, Slurpuff tipped her head to the side. “Huh, most Pokémon love Pecha Berries. Well, everyone has different tastes! There’s a bunch of other berries for you to try; I’m sure you’ll find something you like.”

“She hasn’t eaten in such a long time that I think she forgot how to chew her food,” Dion laughed uneasily.

“How terrible!” the Meringue Pokémon shrieked, oblivious to how absurd Dion’s excuse was. “Not being able to chew your food—that must be a nightmare!”

Letting the other Pokémons’ silly exchange fade into the background, Eileen returned to the basket and grabbed a smooth, round berry with dark red skin. She smashed it against her tongue just so she could get a taste, and then threw her head back and swallowed. The fruit had a cherry-like flavor, but it also had a hint of cinnamon that left a slight sizzling sensation in her mouth.

After devouring a few more berries, Eileen reeled back, satisfied. As much as she enjoyed sampling all the varieties of fruit, her new set of jaws was frustrating her and her throat was sore from swallowing such large pieces of food.

“Done already?” Slurpuff exclaimed, surprised. “You hardly ate anything! Here, have some more!” She fiercely shoved the basket closer to the Scyther, nearly knocking it off of the counter.

“She’s a Scyther, not a Snorlax! You wouldn’t want to give her a stomachache!” Dion snapped.

The bubbly shopkeeper dropped her gaze to the ground and retrieved the basket. “I’m sorry, Dion. I get carried away sometimes.”

Alarm flashed across Dion’s face. “Speaking of getting carried away… how much is all of that going to cost?”

Slurpuff smiled warmly. “Well, it was an emergency, and I can’t bear to charge you full price! 200 Poké will do.”

“That’s all?” yelped the Carnivine, laying out the coins on the counter. “Slurpuff, you’re too kind. How can you afford to sell your goods for such low prices?”

She giggled. “You know how much I care about all of my customers. Seeing the looks on their faces is worth more than money can buy!”

“The world would be a much better place if everyone were as nice as you, Slurpuff,” Dion sighed wistfully before turning to his teammate. “I think we’ve done enough shopping for today. Are you ready to head out to Emerald Grotto, Eileen?”

As much as she wanted to say no, Eileen forced herself to nod. Let’s just get this over with.

 

[Ahnyo]

Chapter Four - A Real Gem​

As Eileen struggled to catch up with her chipper teammate, she noticed that her fatigue was wearing away. Didn’t Slurpuff say something about the Chesto Berry waking me up? She was suddenly glad that she had finished eating the odd-tasting fruit instead of spitting it out. Those things must be loaded with caffeine. If they’re this world’s equivalent of coffee, I might just have to develop a taste for them if I want to make it through the day.

“So…” Dion began as they walked out of Origin Plaza, as if he were perturbed by his teammate’s quietness. “We spent 150 Poké at Toxicroak’s shop and 200 at Slurpuff’s, so that means we have…” After several seconds of silence, he started counting on his fingers out of frustration.

“650,” Eileen impatiently cut in.

“650, right!” The Carnivine bobbed his head. “Man, how did you do that so fast? You must be super smart!”

Yeah, right, Eileen retorted, rolling her eyes at her teammate’s compliment. A second grader could’ve figured that out. It surprised her that he didn’t have a firm understanding of basic math when he was part of a civilization that seemed to have a stable monetary system. Well, if no one can read or write, I doubt they have any normal schools here. Plus, Dion said he didn’t really have any experience with money.

“It’s good to see that you’ve put a little spring in your step,” Dion remarked, “but did you forget about your wings again? If you use them, we could arrive at Emerald Grotto even sooner!”

I’m all for that, Eileen muttered in her head, peering over her shoulder, though I don’t see how these would do me any good. She remembered having trouble getting herself airborne when she had used her wings to haul her body out of the swamp water; she was simply too heavy for her sets of wings to lift with ease. “What do I do?” she asked, clueless.

Dion narrowed his eyes. “Er, do what you did before? I’m not a Scyther, so I can’t exactly give you any advice.”

I’m not even sure what I did before, Eileen admitted sullenly. With a sigh, she hunched her back and braced herself for the bizarre sensation of flying with insect wings. Eileen found their rapid vibration and terrible buzzing noise to be somewhat off-putting, and she wished she could’ve had wings like a bird instead.

“Maybe you should try a running start,” Dion suggested.

Didn’t you just say that you couldn’t give me any tips? The Scyther shot him a cross look before turning her attention to her legs. How am I supposed to run if I don’t even know how to walk right? Whatever, I’ve made a fool of myself plenty of times already, so one more embarrassment can’t hurt. She was a bit leery about accepting advice from the dimwitted Carnivine, but she figured he was a more reliable source of Pokémon-related knowledge than her own intuition.

Here goes nothing. Gracelessly pumping her arms, Eileen broke into a light jog. This is like running with scissors, she thought, eying her flailing scythes cautiously. If I trip, I’m done for. The Scyther threw her arms behind her back and took full potential of the energy racing through her veins. To her surprise, running almost came naturally to her—her body was much better suited for speed than it was for her deliberate languid pace. Forget flying! If I can keep this up, we’ll arrive at our destination in no time.

“Hey, wait up!” Caught up in the moment, Eileen barely paid attention to Dion’s pleading voice.

The Scyther smirked. What’s the matter, Dion? Isn’t this what you wanted? Who’s slowing us down now, huh? Eileen continued to sprint down the road with her wings spread wide, her feet almost gliding over the earth. Within seconds, her mouth grew dry and she found herself gasping for breath. I guess my stamina hasn’t gotten any better, she grumpily told herself, panting like a dog. Her wings sagged as she plodded along listlessly, her legs as heavy as stone.

“Eileen!” The Scyther grunted and spun around, still struggling to catch her breath. Dion was soaring toward her, his flimsy arms flapping in the wind. Eileen was envious of his ability to sail through the sky with so little effort. “Well, you nailed the running start, but maybe next time you should work on following through. Oh well, at least we made some progress! Look, that grove Arcanine was talking about is right up ahead!”

Eileen brought her gaze over to a small cluster of trees, huffing in relief. Thank god, she mumbled to herself, her morale growing. But getting there’s only half the journey. The Scyther could feel her unease returning as she imagined the size of the dungeon and what might’ve been lurking inside.

“Are you nervous?” Dion asked, taking notice of his teammate’s restrained movements. Before she had a chance to respond, the Carnivine assured, “Aww, there’s nothing to worry about! This is only our first lesson, so I’m sure the headmaster wouldn’t expect us to tackle a scary dungeon.”

Everything’s scary when you don’t know how to defend yourself. Giving her scythes a quick look, Eileen reasoned that it wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out how to harness them in battle and was thankful that she had been turned into a Pokémon with such obvious weapons. But what makes a move a move? What distinguishes Scratch from Slash, and what’s the difference between using a move and just hitting someone? How do special moves work? There were so many questions buzzing about in Eileen’s mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask her teammate any of them.

Eileen found the cool shade of the trees and the gentle breeze sifting through the leaves relaxing, and had to fight to keep her eyelids from drooping. I hope there will be somewhere for me to get some rest back at the academy. It was a boarding school, by the looks of it. She took a moment to mull over the thought of falling asleep in the unfamiliar world. What if I wake up and it turns out that all of this really was a dream? I don’t know if I’d like that or not. Why am I so set on returning to my past life? I know nothing about it; what if I was the most miserable person in the world? Shouldn’t I be happy about this? I’ve been turned into a Pokémon—a Scyther! It’s so unreal… maybe my brain just hasn’t taken all of this in yet. Maybe it’ll catch up by the time I wake up tomorrow morning, if I’m still a Pokémon by then.

“Here we are,” Dion declared, clasping his hands together, “Emerald Grotto.”

Eileen bit her tongue, assessing the dungeon before her. A gaping entrance was carved into a massive mound of damp, moss-covered stone. Beads of water dripped from the ceiling and splattered against sharp, rocky fragments. The Scyther winced as she remembered the splinter that had been wedged in her foot. Now I regret not figuring out how to fly.

“Emerald Grotto,” Dion repeated whimsically, brushing his hand against a sheet of dark green moss. “Maybe this is where it gets its name.”

Or it could come from how we’re supposed to be finding a green gem, Eileen contended, shifting her weight from side to side impatiently. She tiptoed across the jagged stones and toward the entrance, holding her arms out for balance. Dion watched with a small smile on his face, finding her clumsy efforts amusing.

The inside of the cave was unpleasantly muggy, and while Dion seemed to enjoy it, Eileen desperately yearned to return to the woods. Although she usually preferred warmer temperatures, she was tired and wanted nothing to do with the sweltering humidity.

“How are we going to find a gem if we can’t see anything?” complained Dion. The inside of the cave was pitch-black, aside from the sunlight pouring in from the entrance. “You wouldn’t happen to know Flash, would you? … Can Scyther even learn Flash?”

Figuring he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway, Eileen gave her teammate the dirtiest look she could muster. She finally blurted, “How am I supposed to know which moves I can use?”

“I dunno,” the Carnivine replied dully, ignoring the anger in the Mantis Pokémon’s tone. “It just sort of comes to you. You’ll see what I mean if we get into a battle. Some of it is trial and error—the more practice you get, the more techniques you’ll get to try out, and eventually you’ll find the move set that works best for you! Me? I know Vine Whip, Bite, and… Sleep Powder!” There was a surge of pride in his voice. “Carnivine can’t normally learn Sleep Powder; it’s something I inherited from my dad. I wonder if you can use any unusual moves.”

That didn’t help at all. I’m still really confused. Eileen sucked in a breath. I guess I should just listen to his advice and stop worrying about it until it actually matters. In spite of what she told herself, uncertain thoughts continued to plague her mind as she and her teammate trudged deeper into the tunnel.

“Man, I was expecting our first lesson to be a bit more exciting than this,” Dion said with a sigh. “What if we’re doing something wrong? What if we already walked right by the gem? Maybe we’re not cut out to be hunters after all.”

Why don’t we backtrack and leave the dungeon while we’re at it? Eileen didn’t know what to say to her teammate. She wanted to scorn him for worrying, but she was too preoccupied with her own flustered thoughts.

“I guess we should keep pressing forward,” the Bug Catcher Pokémon proclaimed, balling his fists. He suddenly flew up ahead, as if something had caught his eye. “Hey, do you see that? I think we’ve reached the end of the dungeon! That must be where the gem is.”

Eileen looked up, spotting a dim light emanating from the distance. At last, she grumbled as she raced to catch up with the Carnivine. She followed him into a small room and held her breath at what she saw inside. The walls were encrusted with large green jewels that sparkled in the light beaming from a gap in the ceiling, and a pool of still, crystal clear water filled the center of the room. Much to her relief, the air was a lot milder. This is beautiful!

“Oh, wow!” Dion squealed, looking like a child in a candy store. “All these gems just sitting here, free for the taking… I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go look for the biggest one we can find!”

“Free for the taking?” a raspy voice echoed. “What makes you think you have the right to wander into someone’s territory and make off with whatever you want? Let me guess—Manectric’s Academy?”

Dion frantically looked from side to side, his mouth hanging open. “Who’s saying that? Where are you?”

Eileen prodded her teammate’s shoulder with the blunt edge of one of her blades, pointing at a small, moving shape in the middle of the water with the other. What in the world is that, a living rock?

Dion furrowed his brows at the sight of the strange creature, swapping his puzzlement for boldness. “We’re from Arcanine’s Academy, and we aren’t scared of you! Headmaster Arcanine told us to fetch him a green gem, and that’s what we’re going to do. You can’t claim this entire dungeon for yourself!”

The Scyther uneasily rocked on her feet. Couldn’t he have just asked for a gem? Why is he trying to start a fight? Is this how Pokémon normally solve their problems, or is he trying to get me some battling experience? This isn’t the way to do that! Even if this cave doesn’t belong to that rock-thing, this still seems awfully rude. I thought Dion said Arcanine’s Academy wasn’t a thieves’ guild!

“Looks like Arcanine’s stooped to new lows. That old geezer should just retire already,” the Pokémon sniggered as it crawled toward the edge of the pool, revealing a set of glowing red eyes. Eileen recognized it as a Kabuto. “If it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you’ll get. You aren’t getting away with this, you rogues!”

Eileen glared at her teammate, her lip curled back in a sneer. Dion threw his arms up submissively. “Hey! Use Leer on him, not me!”

Taken aback, the menacing expression faded from Eileen’s face. What? I just used a move? Leer… that lowers a foe’s Defense, doesn’t it? Great, I screwed up already. Well, if that Kabuto kicks our butts, I hope Dion knows that it’s his fault and not mine.

“Is this some kind of joke?” The Kabuto had stopped to marvel at the hunters’ ineptitude. “I’ve seen Bidoof with more dignity than you two. You’ll probably knock yourselves out before I have a chance to land a move.” He cloaked himself in water and shot out of the pool, bulleting in Dion’s direction.

Could that be Aqua Jet? Eileen watched through narrowed eyes as the Kabuto launched himself into Dion while he was distracted. It looks like that Kabuto isn’t too skillful himself, unless he’s trying to go easy on us. Why would you use a Water-type move on a Grass-type Pokémon? Thinking of type advantages reminded Eileen of how she was Bug and Flying, meaning that any Rock-type moves the Kabuto might’ve known would be four times as effective. On the other hand, Dion’s Grass-type move would be equally powerful against the Rock and Water-type Pokémon. This battle could be over soon depending on who does what. She stepped behind the Carnivine, not wanting to get involved.

Dion jumped up after being knocked backward, vines slithering out from his neck. He twisted his body and sent the tendrils flying toward the Kabuto, but the Shellfish Pokémon swiftly slid out of the way. “How does he move like that?” Dion hissed under his breath, retracting the vines.

Aqua Jet is an attack that lets Pokémon move at speeds they wouldn’t normally be able to reach. This Kabuto is using it both offensively and defensively, Eileen observed, pressing the tip of her scythe to her chin. We’re not going to get anywhere unless we pick up the pace. If I were a normal Scyther, I’d be able to deliver some quick attacks. Considering how fast I was moving earlier, I might stand a chance if I try.

Fanning out her wings, Eileen bent her knees before springing forward. She landed just in time to scoop the Kabuto up and smash his shell against the ground. She watched with her teeth bared in a satisfied grin as the now helpless creature wobbled and kicked his legs piteously, his soft underbelly exposed.

Dion was beaming. “Perfect! I told you you’d get the hang of it!” He hovered closer to the defeated Kabuto, his hands on his sides. “Now, how about letting us have one of those—” Eileen, unaware of how the battle was apparently over, pushed past him and set her foot on the Kabuto’s shell. Using her pride as fuel, she raised her scythe over her head and prepared to strike his weak spot like a guillotine.

“Eileen, no!” The Scyther felt something wrap around her upper arm and tug it back. She whipped around, shooting Dion a bewildered look. Freeing her, he continued, “That’s it; we beat him! You could seriously hurt him if you hit him there! The academy’s code of conduct says we’re not allowed to badly injure other Pokémon unless our lives are in danger, and that clearly isn’t the case!”

How was I supposed to know that? The headmaster didn’t exactly go over the code of conduct, you know! Ashamed, she dropped her gaze to the ground and mulled over what she had almost done. It’s a good thing Dion stopped me; I was seconds away from slicing his belly open. I guess I got carried away in the heat of the moment. The Scyther shuffled backward, returning to her spot behind her teammate. When I said the battle would be over soon, I wasn’t expecting it to go this fast! If this is what battles are like, then I’ll be fine… even if I still don’t know what exactly I was doing out there.

“I forgive you,” said the Kabuto, relaxing his legs. “I understand that you’re still learning. If Arcanine sent you, then that means that this is your very first lesson. He and I have a deal, you see: he gives me money to stay here and help with his lesson. There’s not much else I can do until I evolve, you know? And it’s not like I get a lot of experience from fighting rookies like you.” He let out a sigh. “Speaking of which, I’d appreciate if one of you could, uh, flip me over.”

“Er, all right.” Dion hovered over to the Shellfish Pokémon and pushed him right side up. “You knew we were coming?”

“More or less,” the Kabuto responded bleakly, retreating to the pool. “Help yourself to a gem.”

“Do you know what kind of gems these are? Emeralds, peridots…?” Dion asked, tugging at a long, cylindrical crystal.

“No idea. I’m not a hunter.” The Pokémon spoke in an uncouth tone.

“They’re really pretty, whatever they are!” The Carnivine glanced over his shoulder at Eileen. “Do you think you could help me with this? It’s stuck.”

Uh, hello? I don’t have hands? Eileen trudged over to the wall with her head questioningly tipped to the side. Dion backed away nervously. Does he want me to try cutting it? Unsure of what to do, she lifted her arm and winced when her blade collided with the hard gem. She continued to hack away at it until it smashed to the ground. I hope Arcanine won’t mind that it’s a total mess, she thought, studying the white gashes engraved in the jewel.

“This is it,” Dion breathed, grabbing the scratched-up gem and holding it up to the light, “our very first treasure.”

Can it really be called treasure when it’s in such bad condition? She stared at Dion coldly, not sharing any of his joy.

The Carnivine frowned and stuffed the gem into his bag when he caught sight of the less than excited look on her face. “Well, we should head back to the academy. Goodbye!” He waved to the Kabuto cheerily. The creature didn’t wave back, possibly because he didn’t have arms.

“I almost forgot we had this thing,” Dion murmured, withdrawing the Escape Orb. “Think we should use it?”

Yes, please! Eileen nodded eagerly.

“Okay, here goes. I hope I’m doing this right.” He lobbed the Orb at the stone floor, and it burst into a cloud of black smoke. When it cleared, Eileen discovered that the gem-covered cave walls had transformed into the gray stone of the academy.

“How did…” the Scyther stammered aloud in bafflement. It’s like nothing even happened! And how did we just happen to be transported to the academy?

“That was so cool!” Unlike Eileen, Dion apparently didn’t see a reason to question what had just taken place.

I guess things like that are normal in this word, Eileen concluded, still in shock.

“C’mon, let’s report to the headmaster,” Dion instructed before shooting up the stairs. Eileen followed at a more leisurely pace, carefully taking notice of the school’s layout. Okay, so Arcanine’s room is in the back of the second floor. What are these? Dorm rooms, classrooms…? Eileen was thankful that the academy didn’t appear to be very big.

“Headmaster, we’re back!” cried Dion as he burst through the door. The old Arcanine had collapsed in the middle of the room, his head resting on Dion’s old bag and his tail curled against one side of his enormous body. His jowls flapped slightly as he snored. The sight of the sleeping headmaster seemed to worry Dion, and he tentatively reached out to poke his shoulder.

“Who’s there?” Arcanine’s good eye snapped open. He squinted as he studied the Pokémon in front of him. “Are you two here to enroll? Good, good! First, I’ll go over the code of conduct, and then I’ll—”

“We’re already students, Headmaster! You told us to go to Emerald Grotto and find a green gem, remember? See, look!” The Bug Catcher Pokémon proudly held up his treasure.

Maybe it would’ve been better if you hadn’t cut him off, scolded Eileen.

“Ohohoho, you’re right! My apologies, lad.” Arcanine let out his signature booming laugh. “Good work, you two! Now you know exactly what not to expect as a hunter!”

“Huh?” Dion looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

The headmaster chuckled. “You were there, weren’t ya? Emerald Grotto’s full of gems like that one! They have no use or value, so they’re really no different from ordinary rocks—and ordinary rocks certainly aren’t treasure, ya hear me? You can’t march into a dungeon and expect to find something worthwhile so easily; much more goes into it than that. If it were that simple, there’d be no need for this academy!”

“Are you serious?” Dion stammered in a small voice. “We had to fight a strong Pokémon to get the treasure… er, rock, though. He said he knew you.”

“The Kabuto?” Arcanine shook his head remorsefully. “He’s all bark and no bite; you really must be beginners if he gave ya problems. He can’t even splash around like a Magikarp when he’s on his back! See, he was also chosen to show you what not to expect. Most baddies and guardians of treasure are fairly skilled, so ya might be in for a real fight if you come across one of ‘em! Aye, remind me to schedule some basic training for you two.”

That’s why I was able to take him down in one hit, Eileen realized, her confidence deteriorating. And I thought I was starting to get the hang of this.

“So… what you’re saying is that we did all of this for nothing?” Dion gloomily dropped his arms to his sides, his bag settling on the floor.

“No, not at all!” barked the headmaster. “This was still an important lesson. Not all treasures come in the form of jewels and artifacts. The knowledge we gain, the bonds we forge, the memories we create… they’re just as valuable. Every day we are presented with opportunities to learn new things and go new places, and we must treasure every moment. When you live life to the fullest and appreciate all the wonders of the world, nothing is in vain or without a point.” He sat up. “So, who’s ready for supper?”

Dion, who had been zoning out, snapped back into focus at the mention of food. “Me!”

Wagging his tail merrily, Arcanine shoved past the younger Pokémon as he made his way to the door, nearly causing Eileen to lose her balance and fall into a pile of boxes. Steadying herself, she shuffled after Dion and the headmaster.

Treasuring each moment, Eileen murmured to herself, Arcanine’s words echoing in her head. She had gone through the same kind of thoughts earlier, and hearing those things from someone else only made her reprimand herself for her actions. She wanted to enjoy the fact that she had been turned into a Pokémon, but some invisible force was holding her back. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it—everyone would think she was even weirder than they already did—and yet it felt wrong to carry around such an ungrateful attitude. The Scyther had dragged her feet through everything she had done, and in the process had dragged down both her own and her teammate’s happiness.

I wonder how Dion feels about the way I’ve been behaving. The Carnivine was closely trailing behind the headmaster, which made Eileen fear that he didn’t want to be with her. Maybe I’m expecting too much from him. If someone came up to me and told me they used to be a Pokémon, I wouldn’t be able to take them seriously, either. She kept forgetting that he had saved her life twice, and that she would’ve been completely lost if he hadn’t shown up. I should tell him I’m sorry for being such a stick in the mud, but I don’t know how. He reached out to me… he did so many nice things for me, and I did nothing in return. Way to go, Eileen.

Arcanine led the hunters down the stairs, past the foyer, and into a narrow room. A long table topped with a thin red cloth and neatly arranged wooden soup bowls stretched from wall to wall. The elderly Pokémon strutted to the end of the table and hopped onto a tiny stool that creaked beneath his massive weight. He sat with his back hunched and his paws unevenly balanced on the seat, and Eileen was impressed that he didn’t tip over. Dion slithered onto the stool next to Arcanine’s, his tentacles messily spilling onto the ground.

Eileen approached the two Pokémon, biting her lip indecisively. Where should I sit? If Dion doesn’t want to be around me, then I should respect that… but I’ll leave an even worse impression if I try to avoid him as well. We’ll never get anywhere if I don’t make an effort to make amends. Making up her mind, the Scyther ambled up to the next unoccupied seat. As she bent over to sit down, she was struck with the realization that she didn’t exactly have anything to sit on. Not knowing what else to do, Eileen planted the back of her abdomen on the stool and folded her scythes in her lap. The Scyther fitfully squirmed in her seat as she tried to find a more comfortable position.

Dion, who was propping his chin up with his arms, turned to Arcanine. “Hey, Headmaster, I think you might be forgetting something.”

“Oh?” The old Pokémon leaned forward in an almost playful manner. “What could I possibly be forgetting?”

Dion’s head slumped to the side, and it was becoming evident that even he was growing tired of the headmaster’s antics. “We’re the only ones here.”

“Oh, right! I should go do something about that.” Arcanine energetically leaped off of his stool and bounded out of the dining hall. Eileen flinched when the deafening tone of a bell rang through the air several moments later. Once the bell had finished ringing, Pokémon began to pile into the room. Among them, Eileen recognized the Yamask, Shelmet, and Karrablast from Team Masquerade. I can’t eat in front of all these Pokémon, the Scyther whimpered to herself, thinking back to what had happened at Slurpuff’s Shop. Good thing I’m not that hungry.

“Good evening, students!” Arcanine announced, returning to his seat at the end of the table. “If you didn’t already know, we have a new hunting team with us today. Give a warm welcome to Team… Team…” He expectantly looked to Dion, who responded with a timid shrug. “… Um, I’ll get back to you on that. Now, let’s eat!”

The Pokémon gave a brief round of applause, equally uncertain. As if on cue, a door at the opposite end of the room swung open as soon as the hall fell silent. Eileen’s jaw dropped as a hulking purple creature squeezed its way in, holding a giant pot in one hand and a small serving spoon in the other. It left behind a trail of sludge as it lugged its huge body down the aisle, blobs of slime dripping from its arms. This has to be a joke.

“What’s wrong, Eileen?” queried Dion. “Chef Muk is the best cook in Origin Plaza!”

I’ll take your word for it. The Scyther eyed Chef Muk suspiciously as she scooped a generous helping of an unidentifiable substance into a Pokémon’s bowl. “Is it safe to eat?” Eileen whispered. To her revulsion, a glob of the Sludge Pokémon’s hand—which didn’t look too different from what she was serving—rolled onto the table. Eileen caught a whiff of the food, and while it didn’t smell unpleasant, it didn’t change the fact that it was being handed out by a sentient mound of pollution.

“Probably not,” Dion answered in a disturbingly nonchalant way. “I think everyone’s developed an immunity to it, though.”

That’s definitely reassuring! Eileen inched back in her seat. All the more reason to skip eating. When Chef Muk dragged herself over to her seat, the Scyther shyly raised her voice before she had the chance to pile the slop into her bowl. “No thanks. I’m not hungry.”

“Very well,” grumbled Chef Muk, looking somewhat offended. Even though most of the Pokémon seemed to enjoy her cooking, Eileen couldn’t help but wonder how many times she had heard that before.

“Not hungry, are you? Or are you just saving your appetite for something else?” Cleo, who was sitting a few seats away, slammed her mask face-down on the table. “Whose idea was it to let this meat-eater sit at the table? I bet she’s trying to decide which one of us would taste the best right now!”

This again? Eileen rolled her eyes. If you’re going to make fun of me, at least say something insulting. The faces flashed through her mind again and were gone in an instant. On second thought, it’s fine if you just want to keep saying things that only make sense on your planet.

“Calm down,” Chef Muk ordered temperately. “Not wanting to try my cooking doesn’t make her a cannibal.” The old headmaster impatiently leaned from side to side as she filled his bowl with the grimy soup.

Eileen bowed her head in respect. If you ignore the fact that she thought preparing food would be an appropriate occupation for a Muk, she’s probably one of the most reasonable people here.

“But that’s not all!” Cleo hollered. She pointed at Dion accusingly. “That buffoon dragged her in from the Foreboding Bog. You know—the wild? An uncivilized beast like her has no place in this academy. Arcanine made a huge mistake in letting her enroll. We should just send her to Manectric’s Academy, where she belongs.”

The headmaster, whose muzzle was submerged in the purple slime, paid no attention to the fuming Yamask. He set his great paws on the table and waved his tail fervently, seemingly completely unaware of his surroundings.

Though Dion was intimidated, he spoke up. “Leave her alone! I saw her eat some berries earlier. Besides, she’s not even really from the wild!” A panicked expression spread across the Carnivine’s face, as if he had misspoken.

Oh, just say it! At this point, I don’t care if anyone believes me or not. What’s the worst that could happen? I told Arcanine the truth, and he didn’t do anything. The Scyther began to vent her anger to herself. If you want it bad enough, you’ve got to stand up for yourself. Like you said, nothing too bad happened when you talked to Arcanine. This shouldn’t be any different. She looked Cleo in the eye and prepared to speak, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

“What’s your excuse this time?” The Yamask’s eyes were half-closed. “You’re not going to tell me she came from a different planet, are you?”

“No, of course not! What I mean is… what I mean is…” Dion was interrupted by a furious wail. Instead of filling her bowl, Chef Muk had poured the sludge into the interior of Cleo’s golden mask. Eileen couldn’t tell if she had done it on purpose or not. None of the other Pokémon at the table looked even the slightest bit fazed, as if this was a normal occurrence at the academy.

Eileen, who felt out of place among the other Pokémon, let her gaze wander around the table. Between Cleo’s hysterical cries and the headmaster making a mess of himself as he licked his bowl clean, the Scyther was overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the dining hall. It reminded her of a school cafeteria, except all of the people she would’ve normally avoided were gathered closely around her. She wished she could get up and go somewhere else, but she thought it’d be impolite to leave the table. She continued to shift in her seat as she waited for the Pokémon to finish eating.

Dion stared into his soup absently, as if he had lost his appetite. Eileen didn’t understand why he was letting the rude Yamask bother him. It’s okay. She’s didn’t offend me, she told him silently. The Scyther was more upset about the fact that she couldn’t defend herself, and she was still annoyed by how Dion was keeping her history a secret.

The Carnivine slid off his stool. “We should head to our room,” he murmured, checking to see if Cleo was watching. As he began to float away from the table, his eyes drifted back to his untouched supper. He finally gave in and dumped the murky liquid into his enormous mouth before swallowing it in one big gulp.

That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. Eileen tried her hardest not to draw attention to herself as she scooted out of her seat. So we’re just free to come and go as we like? We don’t have any designated periods or anything? Man, this is nothing like the school I remember… not to mention how Dion implied we’d be sharing a room. That’s a little awkward.

“Here we are,” Dion announced, pushing open the first door at the top of the stairs. The room was relatively small, with a wooden bunk bed taking up the majority of the space. The rest of the area was occupied by a small nightstand and chest.

Wow, Eileen thought as she slipped through the doorway, I wasn’t expecting much, but I didn’t think it’d be this empty. She frowned at the bleak realization that this was her new home. This is my life now. Those words had popped into her head on several occasions, but each time they seemed to fade away or be replaced by some obstructive thought. Now that things were winding down and she had nothing new to take in, she was left to reflect on what had already happened.

This is my life, she echoed, a sense of panic gnawing at her heart. Her anxiety heightened as she caught a glimpse of her scythes, as if she was noticing them for the first time. No, they weren’t “cool”—they were real weapons capable of inflicting real pain; terrible hindrances that made it impossible to carry out simple tasks. By enrolling in the academy, she had practically condemned herself to a life of violence and wandering. There was nothing pleasing or redeeming about this new life that had been thrust upon her. Though Eileen initially believed she was lucid dreaming, it was becoming more and more obvious that she was trapped in a nightmare.

“Zoning out again?” Dion sounded more bored than concerned. He glided past the Scyther and settled on the bottom bunk. The Carnivine dropped his bag onto the ground before promptly picking it up, withdrawing the green gem and setting it on the nightstand, and tossing it aside again. “I wish you could tell me what’s on your mind.”

The blatant aggravation in the Carnivine’s voice shook Eileen from her thoughts and threw her into an abrupt rage. Is this what this is all about? Is the reason you’re not telling anyone anything because I won’t talk to you? This is a sick joke. The Scyther’s blood was boiling. She wasn’t choosing to be silent! Eileen knew there was something wrong with her, but she didn’t know what it was. She wasn’t mute—she had forced herself to choke out a few words earlier. That had been a struggle, though; it was like something was constricting her throat, only allowing her to speak the simplest of sentences. She couldn’t tell Dion the story of her life; she was forced to hide behind a veil of “I don’t know”.

Of course, Dion didn’t know any of this, and it wasn’t his fault. Why shouldn’t he be upset that someone who was talkative when he met her suddenly stopped speaking? Better yet, why couldn’t Eileen just go back to thinking she was in a dream? It was because—like she had just concluded—there was nothing make-believe about this world. But was this silent façade of hers the true Eileen, or was it the thoughts that came naturally to her? It was hard for her to tell—it was almost like there were two conflicting entities in her head.

Ignoring Dion’s plea, Eileen huffily approached the bunk bed. She searched for a ladder, but to her dismay found nothing. The Scyther glared at Dion out of both bitterness and perplexity. He can levitate, and yet he took the bottom bunk. Is he trying to make my life miserable? She gritted her teeth irritably. Well, I need to learn how to fly sooner or later. I can’t exactly get a “running start” in here, so maybe I’ll be able to pull this off.

Eileen took a deep breath and spread her wings, paying no attention to how Dion was observing her intently. She sprang into the air as her wings began to vibrate, flinging her scythes into the empty bed. Her arms began to slip as the rest of her body took its time catching up with her, and she desperately looked for something to dig her blades into. There isn’t even a mattress? She wildly scrabbled at the wood before finally gaining enough elevation to heave herself into the bunk. Worn out, the Scyther collapsed onto her back.

While at first she was relieved to finally be lying down, her discomfort quickly took over. The floor’s probably more comfortable than this, she groaned, her unfocused stare glued on the ceiling. The thought of tossing and turning in bed worried her; what if she crushed her wings or rolled onto one of her scythes? I truly am a fragile insect. How on earth am I going to be able to battle?

“You know,” Dion sighed somberly, “I was looking forward to having a teammate for the longest time. I couldn’t wait to go on missions like Team Masquerade and all the other hunters, but above all else I wanted someone I could talk to; someone who would understand me. And now that I finally have a teammate… it’s like nothing’s changed at all.” He hovered by the Scyther’s bunk. “I try to stand up for you. I try to do so many nice things for you, but all you do is act like you don’t want to be here. Eileen, do you really want to be a hunter? Please tell me the truth.”

Eileen flipped her head to the side, regaining her frustration. She had already gone over how this was her only option—even though she was becoming increasingly upset about her duties as a hunter and Dion’s attitude, she wouldn’t be able to make it in the wild. “Yes,” she replied, her sincerity lost beneath her venomous tone.

The Carnivine didn’t look satisfied with her answer. “I hope you’re being honest.” He flopped back into his bunk. “Well, be sure to get a good night’s sleep. Who knows what Arcanine will have in store for us tomorrow?”

Eileen cringed at the idea. Between her discomfort and the menagerie of thoughts running rampant through her brain, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get any sleep. She continued to blankly stare at the ceiling as time rolled on, her restless imagination grappling with her exhaustion.

 

[Flaze]

All right I'm finally all caught up with this fic. I gotta say I actually really like the way you're looking into this story, I myself haven't read many Pokemon Mystery Dungeon fics but I think that this one is very interesting, especially with the world liberties that you have taken in regards to the academy and such. I like Eileen so far, at first I thought that maybe she was a bit too whiny even considering the situation but it was nice to see her realize that she may have to give the benefit of the doubt to people in chapter 4. But that's kind of what I like about the characters in a sense, they're good, but they have clear flaws that don't make them perfect. I can't say that Dion and Eileen are a good pair but I definetily would like to see how they grow closer now that they have to work together.

The supporting cast is very interesting too, though I imagined Arcanine being this really empowering figure, and he is, but the fact he's going senile kind of makes it even funnier too. I think you have a pretty good hang of description, everything's made easy to imagine without giving too much detail and you also do good in going into the mind of Eileen. One thing I did notice in the earlier chapters and still a bit here is that maybe the story moves a bit too slowly, I mean it's going at a good pace but I think that there was actually a lot of time inside of Eileen's mind that it slowed the story down a bit.

I do think this story has a lot of potential and I'm actually very curious as to what will come and am interested in future events, so I'll try and keep reading when I get the chance and I hope that you can keep going with this story ^^

 

[Ahnyo]

Chapter Five - You Are What You Eat​

Eileen woke with a start when the door flew open and smashed against the stone wall. She whimpered at the sight of Arcanine’s massive form, but then her memories snapped back into her mind. No, she whined, as if she had been hoping to wake up as a human. She still had her bright green insect body, and her terrible sickle-like arms, and her four translucent wings. Worst of all, she was still in the abysmal academy, and the day had only just begun. She dreaded hearing what the old headmaster had to say.

“Get up, get up!” Arcanine howled. “All the other students are already out on their missions!”

“Okay, I’m awake!” Dion cried, launching himself out of bed. He grabbed his bag and looked up at his teammate, who had no intention of leaving her bunk. The Scyther groaned and turned her head away.

Huffing in disapproval, Arcanine strode over to the bunk bed and reared on his hind legs. “Don’t make me climb up there and get you, lass!” The wild look in the headmaster’s eye frightened Eileen; he looked like he actually meant what he said. She raised her thorax and let out a breath of relief when Arcanine dropped onto all fours.

Eileen peered over the side of the bunk. She wasn’t very high up, but she still didn’t like the idea of falling onto the hard stone floor. Laying her scythes flat against the wood, she spun herself around and dangled her legs over the edge. She forced her eyes shut as she pushed herself off and landed hard on her feet. If only I could talk Dion into giving me the bottom bunk, she hissed, a small jolt of pain shooting up her legs.

“I’m assigning you two a very dire mission,” Arcanine explained gravely, slouching onto his haunches. “It has been brought to my attention that there has been a string of disappearances in the vicinity of Foggy Falls. The victims are usually wild Pokémon that live in the area, but it won’t be long before whatever’s out there starts picking off citizens of Origin Plaza. No one’s been able to identify the cause of these disappearances, so I’m asking you to seek it out and, if possible, bring it to justice.”

The elderly headmaster’s request hardly came as a surprise to Eileen. Nevertheless, it filled her with unease. She rocked from side to side, her muscles tightening. I can’t do this. I’m not ready for this, and I never will be. Defeating the Kabuto had boosted her confidence in her abilities, but everything she had gained was blown away when Arcanine revealed the true purpose of the mission. She couldn’t think of herself as anything more than an incompetent fool.
Dion pressed his hands against his mouth. “That sounds really dangerous, Headmaster. I don’t think we’re ready for a mission like that. Didn’t you say we needed some training?”

Eileen bit her lip, continuing to shift on her feet. Come on, Arcanine. Even Dion thinks this is a bad idea.

“I specifically picked this mission for you two,” Arcanine said, his tone growing stern. “You aren’t scared, are ya? You’ll never make it as a hunter if you don’t find some courage.”

The Carnivine opened his mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was a pathetic squeak. He lowered his head submissively. “All right, Headmaster.”

“That’s the spirit, lad!” Arcanine rose to his feet. “Now, you best be on your way if ya want to make it back in time for supper. Remember: Origin Plaza’s counting on you!” He pranced back into the hall, seemingly forgetting about the weight of the mission he had assigned the students.

“I’m sure Headmaster Arcanine knows what he’s doing,” Dion laughed, his voice reduced to a whisper. “It’s just pretend, like our first lesson. There’s no way he would let a couple of rookies handle a mission like that. Maybe this is the training session he was talking about after all.”

I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He already tried to kill us once. In spite of her cynicism, she was reassured by Dion’s words. Though he boasted that they’d be embarking on all sorts of adventures, Eileen knew she should take his idealism with a grain of salt. It only made sense that the students would be trained before they were thrown into real danger. It was apparent, however, that the kind of training Eileen required was not offered at the academy.

“With that in mind, we really should get going. If I’m remembering correctly, Foggy Falls is pretty far away compared to Emerald Grotto.” The Carnivine frowned and pulled the map out of his bag. Eileen glanced at the sheet of parchment out of the corner of her eye, wondering how her teammate was able to tell the sloppily drawn symbols apart. He flipped the map upside-down before exclaiming, “Ah-ha! It’s not too far away from Foreboding Bog. That’s still quite a bit of walking.”

“Are we going to stop at the town?” Eileen managed to ask. She hadn’t eaten anything since the previous afternoon, and she felt she’d be much better off if she had a Chesto Berry in her system.

Dion shrugged. “I don’t know. Is there anything we have to buy? I think we should wait ‘til after we get back so we can buy some Gummis. That will give us something to look forward to!”

The Scyther grunted in response, not bothering to argue with her teammate. Much to her annoyance, the Carnivine continued to attempt to make small talk as they left the academy. He was obviously upset with her failure to respond to his questions the night before, but he didn’t understand that no matter how persistent he was, he wouldn’t be able to get her to become anymore talkative.

“Have you gotten any of your memories back yet?”

Eileen replied with a shake of her head, but then took a moment to dwell on the thought. She recited a series of words in her head, spelling them out as if she were uttering them for the first time. F-a-m-i-l-y. F-r-i-e-n-d-s. They sat in her mind like a flavorless piece of candy; there was nothing sweet to savor, nor was there anything sour to bring tears to her eyes, and yet sucking on the meaning of the words left a bitter aftertaste. It was no different from dreaming she was in the world of a storybook: she could have read all about what to expect, but that knowledge had come from words written by some author. Words alone could never make up for memories, and that’s just what family and friends were to her: hollow words.

It was all too convenient that she had only forgotten about her personal life and relationships, as if some part of her consciousness didn’t want to cope with the stress of worrying about the people she had left behind. To Eileen, not knowing who she was and the circumstances of her transformation was even more troubling. The uncertainty added an extra layer to her paranoia; it clogged her mind with “what if…?” scenarios and made her question whether she had any real reason to worry. Any kind of confirmation, even if it involved the worst possible outcome, would at least curb her doubt and suspicions.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Dion murmured, oblivious to Eileen’s frustration. He leaned closer to his teammate, a sparkle of curiosity in his eyes. “What do you remember? You’ve gotta have some stuff in that head of yours!” He tapped a finger against his forehead, which made a hollow sound.

Eileen shrugged.

Dion stifled a haggard sigh. “Is it true that humans trapped Pokémon in little round things? That’s what my dad always said.”

The Scyther blinked. “I don’t think so.” The concept sounded familiar to her, and yet she couldn’t recall taking part in anything like that. It hadn’t occurred to her until then, but she couldn’t remember seeing any Pokémon in her past life. Where had her seemingly innate knowledge of them come from, then? It was as if she had simply read about them in a book. She supposed it wasn’t much different from how she only knew what friends and family meant—it seemed as if she remembered the definitions of words and nothing else.

“Really? Huh, I guess that makes sense. Why would humans want to trap us like that, anyway? What a strange story.” Eileen couldn’t tell if the Carnivine was relieved or upset. “Imagine if we hunters had things like that. Catching criminals would be a piece of cake!” He gazed up at the sky wistfully for a second, and then turned to the Scyther again. “What did you do, then?”

Writing . Much to her confusion, the memories seamlessly glided into her mind. They were more than a mere definition: she clearly remembered jotting down accounts of her experiences or tales of her own creation— anything that would have remained bottled up in her head otherwise. That, she realized, was how she expressed her feelings and communicated; it was what made up for her lack of a voice.

To Eileen, writing was a lot less nerve-wracking than speaking aloud. Perhaps it was because she didn’t have to deal with the stress of making eye contact with someone, or perhaps it was because she could organize her thoughts without feeling pressed for time. Either way, now that she had been given time to think about it, she wanted nothing more than to sit down with a pencil and pad of paper and let her troubles spill onto the pages.

A chill ran down her back when she recalled what she had reasoned in Origin Plaza: that the world of Pokémon did not have a written language. That can’t be true! Eileen cried. “I liked to write,” she confessed to Dion, panicking.

“You liked to… right?” Dion’s look of bafflement was swiftly replaced by a smile. “Oh, I get it! Like, the opposite of wrong. Well, if you put it that way, I like to right, too! You’ll fit right in at the academy. That’s what being a hunter is about!”

Eileen’s heart sank. “Write,” she whimpered in denial, “with a W.”

“Double-you? What’s that supposed to mean?” Dion let out a laugh.

The Scyther lowered her head glumly. “Never mind.”

“No, go on! I wanna know more about humans!” Dion squealed like a toddler begging his mother to tell him a bedtime story.

Eileen looked in the opposite direction, her lip quivering. Making me forget about the people I know wasn’t enough. I’d only stop being upset if I completely lost my mind. She glanced at Dion for a split second, breaking away before their eyes could meet. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she envied the Carnivine. She envied his ability to only see the good in life, and she envied how easy it was for him to move on from what was in the past. Dion experienced fear and doubt and cynicism, but he was back to his usual giddy self in the blink of an eye. He was already giving Eileen a second chance after what had happened the night before. Maybe this naively forgiving attitude wasn’t a sign of low intelligence: maybe it showed that Dion was even smarter than she was. Oh, how easy things would’ve been if Eileen could learn to go through life without holding grudges or dealing with lingering stress!

“What’s the matter?” Dion was beginning to look equally distraught. “You always do this. You’re fine one minute, and then all of the sudden you look like something’s troubling you. I wish I could help you, but I never know what to do.”

For one , Eileen hissed, narrowing her eyes, you could learn to mind your own business. Just shut up. You’re not going to get me to talk to you. Why can’t you get that through your thick skull? It was impossible for her to interpret Dion’s words as anything other than an insult. Eileen didn’t care that he didn’t fully understand her situation. Eileen didn’t care that maybe his choice of words wasn’t the best. After everything he had said and done, the possibility that he was genuinely concerned for her sake was nonexistent.

What Eileen didn’t understand was that she may have been the root of her troubles. The bullies whose faces she could remember might have only been half of the problem. Eileen was a writer—someone prone to crafting make-believe scenarios in her head. Her suffocating paranoia and distrust in others could have been a product of her active imagination. She was shying away from things that did not exist, not unlike a child who was afraid of monsters under her bed.
Dion muttered something under his breath before looking up and saying, “I guess we can try to talk more later on. We should concentrate on getting to Foggy Falls.”

Eileen let out a breath of relief, taking the opportunity to attempt to clear her mind of her troubling thoughts.

“You know, this would be way easier if there was still a Pokémon that knew Teleport at the academy,” the Carnivine said, floating forward at a quicker pace. “There used to be somebody—I think Arcanine said he was a Claydol—but he left his position before I even became a student. Now we can only explore dungeons that we can travel to by foot. Not only does walking from place to place take a long time, but just think of all the treasure we could hunt for in faraway dungeons!”

“Wouldn’t an Escape Orb work?” Eileen vividly remembered when Dion had used one of the Orbs to exit Emerald Grotto—watching black smoke cascade around her body and seeing it melt away to reveal she was standing in the academy. If they could rely on magic like that to reach their destinations, Eileen could see herself warming up to her job as a hunter.

“Nah, they’re no good. I think they can only take you to places you’ve been to before or something. Like I said, I’m no expert when it comes to Orbs. I just know that Arcanine would’ve bought a bunch of them for us if they worked,” Dion replied. “You gonna try flying again? Say what you want, but I think your wings will really come in handy once you learn what to do with them.” He released the vines from his neck, letting them slump to the ground before they could hit his teammate. “Like, I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t use these. You might find that your wings are equally useful!” He added, “You know how you flew up to your bed last night? That was pretty good.”

Yeah, I was real graceful, wasn’t I? Eileen clenched her teeth, trying not to let the Carnivine’s compliment get on her nerves. Some competitive part of her wanted to challenge Dion and show him that she was better than he thought, even though she doubted she’d be able to live up to that goal. She truly did want to teach herself to fly. If she was going to be stuck as a Scyther, she was going to have to learn to live as one. Dion was right: her wings were important.

It’ll be like learning how to ride a bike , she told herself, despite how she couldn’t recall knowing how to do so properly. I’ll start off slow, and then I’ll try going faster when I’m comfortable. I don’t need to start by running. I’ll take things at my own pace. It would be different from before, she realized: she would be flying straight forward rather than up, and perhaps it would be easier.

Three… two… one… go! The Scyther leaped into the air as her wings began to vibrate, smoothly flipping onto her belly and tucking in her legs. When her weight caused her to sink toward the ground, she pushed herself to beat her wings harder.

Trying her best to ignore the strain on her wings, Eileen grinned as she glided down the road. I may not be soaring across the sky like a bird, but this… this is pretty incredible. There was something exhilarating about being able to move at such high speeds without touching the ground. The cool air buffeting off her body was a refreshing diversion from the summery heat, and her grin widened as she watched trees whiz behind her in her peripheral vision.

“I knew you could do it!” Eileen could barely hear Dion’s ecstatic voice above the drone of her wings. She tossed her head over her shoulder to look back at him, but all she could see was a blur. It made her a little nervous; although Dion wasn’t a very helpful Pokémon, he knew the world a lot better than she did, and besides, he had the map. Eileen didn’t know how to get to Foggy Falls, and she didn’t want to be alone in the unfamiliar land.

The Scyther tilted to the side, turning herself around and soaring back to her teammate. Dion was confused. “What’s wrong? You were doing fine—great, actually! You were flying like a pro.”

Eileen attempted to slow down, but she accidentally brought her wings to a complete stop and had to catch herself from falling inches away from Dion. “Uh, I don’t know where I’m going,” she admitted, holding her scythes together.

“Well, that’s a problem. Here, I’ll let you hold the map.” He withdrew the parchment, only to immediately put it away again. “Right, that won’t work. It looks like we’ve got ourselves a bit of a predicament. Got any ideas?”

There’s nothing wrong with walking, Eileen retorted, ignoring how she too wanted to get to their destination as soon as possible. Even if she did know the way to Foggy Falls, she had discovered that she was only capable of one speed while flying, and it was far too fast for the Carnivine to be able to keep up with.
Her mouth fell open as she recalled her and Dion’s scuffle with Arcanine. Dion had wrapped his vines around the headmaster’s legs in an attempt to stop him, only for Arcanine to retaliate with Extreme Speed. He had been able to hold on until Arcanine was stopped by Cleo, showing he would be more than capable of doing the same with Eileen.

Without thinking too much about how to communicate her idea, she bent forward, spread out her arms, and ordered, “Grab my arms. With your vines, I mean.” Dion obeyed without question. “You can steer me,” said the Scyther, peering over her shoulder. “Look at the map and let me know where I should go.”
Dion was hesitant at first, but he beamed as he began to process her directions. “Say, that’s not bad thinking. I’d never be able to come up with something like that.”

Eileen dipped her head in approval. “Ready?”

The Carnivine tightened his grip. “I’m ready!” he answered. Eileen took off. Dion’s leafy body flapped like a flag in the wind, and he couldn’t help but let out a cry of delight as he was swiftly carried along. “This is awesome!”

Eileen tried not to smile. It was. Dion’s airborne form added little weight to her back, letting her fly as fast as ever. She was not yet acquainted with the sensation of flight, but she loved it already. Even though she was letting Dion control her, she felt free. She was no longer constrained by her sluggish feet; she had unlocked her true potential.

“All right,” Dion yelled over the sound of her wings. Eileen made sure to focus on his voice. “The map says we have to go… this way.” He tugged on her right arm, and she turned slightly. The Scyther watched as she glided past the old blue shack that was Manectric’s Academy. “We’re going to head by Foreboding Bog soon, I think. Just keep going straight, or maybe a little more to the right.”

The distant odor of swamp water began to trickle into Eileen’s nostrils, and it made her feel a little nostalgic. It seemed like so much had happened during that short time after Dion had found her in the dungeon, and Eileen realized it was because those were the only experiences she remembered. She had been reborn, essentially. She was no more than an infant with a developed brain, and the Foreboding Bog was her birthplace.

The gnarled mangroves of the wetlands transformed into skinny black trees and the pungent swamp gas distilled into mist. Walls of gray fog obscured the sky, giving the place an even darker atmosphere than the bog. The temperature dropped and Eileen found that the breeze was becoming unpleasant.

“Boy,” Dion stuttered, taking in the dreary scenery, “this certainly looks like a place where Pokémon would go missing. I can barely see anything out there. I hope we don’t get lost ourselves.”

Eileen landed and Dion unwound his vines. The Scyther felt a little fatigued, but the thrill of the flight had left her with a fair amount of adrenaline. Eileen, uncharacteristically optimistic, wasn’t as nervous as her teammate. Apprehension would slow things down, she figured, and she was ready to get the mission over with.

“This place should be called Foggy Fog. If there are any waterfalls here, we won’t be able to see them.” The Carnivine drifted into the mist. “Heck, maybe there aren’t any waterfalls at all. Maybe it’s just called that because nobody can see and everyone’s tripping and falling.”

Dion, the Scyther observed, was always trying to make sense of the world around him. He might not have been the smartest Pokémon around, but he was highly inquisitive and wanted to be educated.

“How are we going to handle this?” said the Bug Catcher Pokémon. “I don’t think we should split up. We’re too inexperienced. There’s no way either of us could take on the kidnapper alone.” He added in a small voice, “I’m not sure we’ll be able to handle it together.”

Don’t you remember what you said about Arcanine? Dion’s guess that the mission was a training session in disguise was becoming more and more reasonable to Eileen—or at least the further she advanced into the dungeon, the more she wished it was true. Her enthusiasm was already being squandered away by the coldness of reality. Dion’s fear was contagious, and Eileen could feel the sickness of dread constricting her chest.

Everything she could see looked exactly the same. Beneath her feet were trampled brown leaves, and around her were long trunks that stretched to the heavens like lampposts. It was eerily silent aside from the slithering of her feet in the leaves, and she made sure to tread as carefully as she could. Dion’s voice occasionally shattered the silence even more, and every time he spoke Eileen’s anxiety heightened.

“What if it’s not a kidnapper at all? What if Pokémon are just wandering in here and getting lost? What could we do about it if that were the case?” He had started in a whisper, but he grew louder and louder as he went on. “What if we never come back and Arcanine sends hunting teams to search for us and they disappear, too? Could the kidnapper be so strong that nobody can defeat it, not even Arcanine?”

“Be quiet!” Eileen yelped.

Dion look horrified. “Sorry, sorry! Oh geez, I’m sorry.” He resumed whispering. “When I get scared, my mouth gets moving. I can’t help it.”

Eileen sighed.

“Now, wait a minute,” Dion said. “We’re supposed to be looking for what’s causing the disappearances. We’re hunters, Eileen! Shouldn’t we try to make noise and lure it to us?” He had begun to raise his voice without waiting to hear Eileen’s opinion on the matter.

The Scyther clenched her teeth. No, that’s a terrible idea! We have to find the kidnapper before it finds us. We don’t have a trap set up, and Dion knows as well as I do that we’re a couple of weaklings! Stealth, speed, and precision—they’re our only hope.

“Hello-ooo-oo!” the Carnivine called with his hands cupped around his mouth. His voice was shaky, making it evident that he was still afraid.

“No!” Eileen hissed, resisting her urge to lash out at her teammate. She gave him a quick Leer, and he froze.

“Oh, no,” Dion whimpered. Sweat was collecting on his face. “I shouldn’t have done that. I messed up. I made a mistake.”

Eileen continued to glare at Dion with her teeth bared. You better be sorry. We’re gonna die and it’s all because of you. Dion, having reached the same conclusion, looked like he was about to cry.

Something sounded in the distance: “Hello!”

Dion screamed and flung his bag into the air. “They’re coming! They’re coming!” Not knowing where to flee to, he hovered in frantic circles.

God, what did you think would happen? Helpless, Eileen remained where she stood. She eyed the dropped sack and, realizing its importance, picked it up with her mouth. She bit down on the brown material to relieve her tension as she watched Dion panic and waited for the inevitable.

The silhouette of a bounding figure appeared in the fog. It looked small, but Eileen assumed it was because of the distance. The creature was stout and had huge ears and a fluffy mane. Once it had drawn close enough, it pounced. Eileen could feel invisible jaws around her throat, like when she was nearly mauled by Arcanine—but again, the real pain never came. She shifted her gaze to the ground and the bag slipped from her teeth.

A brown, furry Pokémon not even half her height was standing in front of her and wagging his tail playfully. “Hello!” he repeated, swatting at the bag. Eileen had been too horrified to notice before, but he spoke with the voice of a child. She stared at him, dumbstruck.

When Dion took in what had happened, he slowed to a halt. He was panting, but he quickly broke into a hysterical chuckle. “Why,” the Carnivine remarked, “you’re an Eevee.” He looked at Eileen, wiping a tear from his eye. “That’s what we were afraid of—a little Eevee! Can you believe it?”

Eileen didn’t say anything.

“That’s right! Name’s Rudy,” said the Eevee. He put his paw on the bronze hunters’ badge and folded his ears back. “You two… are you a hunting team?”

Dion had calmed down somewhat. “Yep, we’re hunters! I’m Dion, and this is my teammate, Eileen. We’re here to investigate some disappearances.” Hit by a realization, he sank to the ground and landed by Rudy’s side. “Say, little fellow, are you lost?”

The Eevee puffed out his chest. “’Course I ain’t lost!” Offended, he slapped the badge off of the sack.

“Hey, be careful with that!” Dion screeched, swiping it from him. He winced as the pin stabbed his finger. “That’s our official hunters’ badge! It’s proof that we’re a real hunting team.”

Rudy scowled. “I don’t trust the likes of you.”

“What?” Dion was perplexed. “Why’s that?”

“I ain’t a pansy like you city-folk. I don’t need your help,” growled Rudy, feigning aggression. “Even if I did, you ain’t foolin’ me. You hunters couldn’t care less about what happens to us wilds. You just want to make off with some kind of reward.”

Dion waved his hands. “Hey, hey, what are you talking about? That isn’t true!” He paused to think, and then meekly said, “You know, you’re right. Headmaster Arcanine said whatever’s behind the disappearances might target Origin Plaza next. That’s why he gave us this mission.” The Carnivine set his gaze on the ground. “I think hunters should protect all Pokémon.”

“You don’t mean that,” Rudy grunted, trying to mask his surprise. “Now, you better scram. I’ve gotta find Brother and all you two are going to do is get in the way. Go find somebody else to bother.”

“Your brother’s missing?” exclaimed Dion.

“That’s what I said, and don’t you think for a second that I’m going to let you help me find him.”

The Bug Catcher Pokémon sighed. “Rudy, please listen. I know you’re a wild Pokémon, but it’s dangerous out here. Don’t you think you’d be much better off if we came along?”

Rudy faked a laugh. “Are you kidding? You don’t know nothin’ ‘bout the wild. I could hear you fools screaming a mile away.”

“Rudy…” Dion squeezed the badge in his palm. He glanced at Eileen as if he expected her to contribute, but she kept quiet. He shook his head. “Rudy, come on. This isn’t just about you and your brother. It doesn’t matter why Arcanine assigned us this mission: we’re here for the Pokémon of Origin Plaza and Foggy Falls. I know you want to find your brother, but we want to put a stop to whatever’s making Pokémon go missing once and for all.”

The Eevee furrowed his brows.

Dion continued, “Look, maybe you’re not the one who needs help. Maybe you should be helping us. You know all about the wild, don’t you? You could lead the way. It’d be like you’re part of our team.”

Though the offer seemed to appeal to Rudy, he retorted, “That’s the last thing I’d want to be part of.” When he finished speaking, he lowered his head somberly.

“What’s wrong, Rudy?” Dion ducked beside him in alarm.

The Eevee’s eyes were dark. “Ma said never to trust you city-folk, but she never told me why.” He swallowed hard. “Truth is, I never met any Pokémon from the Plaza ‘fore I ran into you two. You’re nothing like what I expected. In the wild, we gotta find our own food and solve our own problems. Nobody’s ever offered to help me before.”

Dion gave an amiable smile and put his hand on Rudy’s head. “We’re here for you, Rudy. There’s no need to worry.”

Rudy backed away. “I’d love to be part of a hunting team, but Ma won’t let me set foot in Origin Plaza.”
“Does your ma know you’re out here?”

“Nah,” said Rudy, grinning. “I don’t gotta listen to her, ‘specially now that Brother’s gone. I’m gonna find him… I know I am!” He looked from Dion to Eileen. “I’ve got a real hunting team on my side.”

“That’s the spirit!” Dion reflected the Eevee’s expression. “It was awfully brave of you to come looking for your brother, even if you don’t have your ma’s permission. Hunters need to take risks sometimes. I could see you fitting right in at Arcanine’s Academy.”

Eileen, who was struggling to follow the other Pokémons’ conversation, sneered when Rudy’s eyes lit up. Are you kidding? That isn’t bravery. I can’t imagine what his poor mother’s going through. She cringed. In another world, someone might have been worried sick over her disappearance, too. Rudy had left voluntarily and chosen to scare his family when others—both those who had fallen victim to the kidnapper and Eileen herself—hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye, and it made her seethe with anger.

Something cooled the Scyther’s rage. It was faint, but she could hear it: a large object being dragged through the dead leaves. Dion and Rudy stopped talking. They could hear it, too.

“Eileen?” Dion squeaked, facing her. “Was that you?”

Eileen shook her head. She hadn’t moved an inch.

The Carnivine made a soft grumbling noise. “This is it. It’s gotta be.” He was trying his hardest not to panic.

Rudy wagged his tail and arched his back, his body tense. Unlike Dion and his teammate, the Eevee looked like he was raring for a fight. Eileen hoped he was tougher than they were.

The figure emerged from the mist. She was a portly pink and white creature and she was hauling two massive burlap sacks, one in each paw. Eileen squinted at the Pokémon. Is that…

“Slurpuff?” hollered Dion.

The shopkeeper was equally surprised. “Why, if it isn’t my favorite hunting team! Dion, Eileen! I wasn’t expecting to bump into you two out here. What a happy coincidence.”

“Oh, Slurpuff.” Dion still wasn’t at ease. “What in the world are you doing in a place like this? Haven’t you heard that Pokémon have been going missing around here? It’s dangerous!”

The pudgy shopkeeper let go of the sacks. “Oh dear, I haven’t heard anything of the sort! This is the route I always take to pick up my Gummi shipments. I could easily go around Foggy Falls, but I like to pass through and share some of my stock with those who are less fortunate.” She briefly glanced at Rudy, but the bristle-tailed Eevee didn’t notice.

“Wow.” There was a sparkle in Dion’s eyes. “That’s unbelievably kind of you. Putting yourself in danger and going out of your way to help others… you’re a great Pokémon, Slurpuff.”

“Aww, shucks.” The Meringue Pokémon was blushing.

“Is there anything we can do to help you? It looks like you have a lot to carry.”

“Haven’t you got a job to do?” Slurpuff folded her arms. “I can manage on my own, dear. I may not look strong, but looks can be deceiving.” She pulled open one of the sacks, revealing an assortment of bean-shaped candies. “I reckon you two are hungry, going on a mission like this. Why not have a snack before you get back to work?”

“Oh! Eileen and I were looking forward to stopping at your shop when we got back, but you’re right: I am hungry.”

Slurpuff shoved the sack toward Dion, and then turned to Rudy. “My, my! What a scrawny little guy. I bet you’ve never even tasted a Gummi before.”

Rudy was hostile again. “Don’t need to, either. I ain’t eating that fake city food.”

“I had a feeling,” Slurpuff muttered under her breath. She opened the other bag and tipped it so the Eevee could see its contents. Like the basket Eileen had eaten out of the day before, it was stuffed with brightly colored berries. “Say what you want about my “city food”, but you won’t find such a wide variety of berries out in these boondocks.”

Dion had grabbed a big fistful of Gummis and was shoving them into his mouth one by one. “Eileen!” he cried with his mouth full. “C’mon, have some! You’ve got to try them.”

Eileen gave the sack of sweets a dubious look. The danger was still real, and she didn’t want to leave herself vulnerable. She was hungry—and the scent of the Gummis was making her mouth water—but she could afford to stick to Dion’s original plan and hold off on eating until they were done. The Scyther shook her head.

Dion, who was churning the food in his mouth, knit his brows. “It’s not often that you get an offer like this. It’d be rude not to have at least one.”

Eileen stifled a breath. “Fine,” she mumbled, her stress seeping into her voice. She lowered her face into the sack and selected a White Gummi, which she moved to the back of her mouth with her tongue. She mashed it with her gums and a sugary flavor trickled down her throat, nearly making her cough. It tasted like a marshmallow, but it had a juicy, chewy consistency. She swallowed, licked her lips, and dove for another Gummi.

The next one, a Brown Gummi, had a strong, earthy taste with a chocolate undertone. The Pink Gummi was surprisingly tart, and the Yellow Gummi filled her mouth with a numbing sensation. Eileen couldn’t control herself. There was something addictive about the colorful candies, and the Scyther, determined to sample each flavor, kept eating even after she felt sick. The Gummis she liked the most—Green and Sky—tasted like tropical fruit with a hint of honey and a light, airy mixture of berries, respectively. She wanted more, even though her stomach was begging her to stop.

“See? I knew you’d love ‘em.” Dion chuckled as he scooped up another handful. “I didn’t know you were such a big eater.”

Neither did I , thought Eileen. She glanced at Rudy. He was having a feast of his own, gobbling down berries without taking the time to chew them.
Slurpuff was wearing her usual pleasant smile. “My, you three are going to eat up my entire stock! But that’s not a problem, dearies. Eat as much as you want.”

“Mmph!” squawked Dion. “We’re sorry, Slurpuff! We’ll stop.”

“Not a problem,” the shopkeeper repeated. “Eat as much as you want.”

“Ooh, okay, Slurpuff. Huh, at least your bags will be lighter,” said the Carnivine.

Slurpuff pulled something out of the bag of berries and put it behind her back. “Will they?”

Dion gulped. “Eh, what was that?”

Fast as lightning, Slurpuff hurled the sparkly pink Orb she had been hiding at Rudy. The object hit his chest and emitted a soft glow before dissolving into the air.

“What the—” Rudy jumped and scrabbled at his mane with his paws.

“Slurpuff!” yelled Dion as he dropped the Gummis he had in his hand. “What was that?”

The Meringue Pokémon’s cheerful expression was replaced by a frown. “I didn’t want to have to do this to my favorite hunting team,” she declared sadly.

Dion wailed, “Do what?”

He was answered by a scream. Rudy twisted his neck and shoulders, but he was frozen in place. Something white began to bubble from his feet, and it quickly traveled up his legs and to his torso. The milky substance made terrible gurgling, snapping noises as it covered the Eevee’s body. Rudy sank toward the ground as his limbs melted and formed waxy white blobs. The goo spread up to his head and filled his mouth, silencing his squeals. All that remained of the Eevee was a neat mound of White Gummis.

Dion was petrified. He spat out a glob of half-chewed Gummis and choked, “Aah—”

Slurpuff’s smile returned. She picked up one of the White Gummis and tossed it into her mouth. “I’m not one to believe wild Pokémon are good for nothing,” she said. “They make rather tasty snacks. You said so yourself!”

Dion was whining. “Your Gummis… are made of Pokémon?”

Slurpuff nodded vigorously. “Indeed! Only wild Pokémon, of course—I wouldn’t dare to use my dear customers. They’re the ones with the money, you know.”

“But we didn’t—”

Slurpuff put her paw against her lips. “Ssh, I know you didn’t pay. Here’s the deal: if you let me continue my business and don’t say a word about this to anyone, I’ll let you go. If you don’t, I have two more Itemizer Orbs in my bag. What will it be, sweetie?”

Itemizer Orbs, echoed a shock-stricken Eileen. Toxicroak said those were banned in Origin Plaza.

“I—” Dion had his hands on his belly. “Slurpuff, you seemed like such a nice Pokémon. How could you do something like this?”

Slurpuff giggled. “Like I said, looks can be deceiving. Honestly, I’m doing Origin Plaza a favor. Wilds are nothing but trouble. They steal our goods and attack our people. The world would be a better place without them.”

“No!” the Carnivine screeched. “None of that’s true! Wild Pokémon are just like us, only their lives are a little different.”

Slurpuff whipped out another pink Itemizer Orb. “I won’t feel as bad knowing you two are wild sympathizers.”

“No!” Dion screamed again. Before Slurpuff had a chance to throw the object, the Carnivine flung a vine at it, knocking it out of Slurpuff’s paw and into the side of her head.

“You didn’t…” Slurpuff croaked in disbelief as the Itemizer Orb vanished. Her feet bubbled and turned pale pink. “You brat! Someday you’ll see… someday you’ll see the true nature of wild Pokémon!” Her voice had become uncharacteristically raspy, which startled Eileen. Moments later, all that remained of the Meringue Pokémon was a heap of Pastel Gummis.

Dion sniffled. A tear rolled down his face. “Slurpuff,” he whimpered. He faced the white Gummis. “Rudy…” The Carnivine prodded his stomach. “The missing Pokémon from Foggy Falls… Slurpuff turned them into Gummis—Gummis that we ate.” He was sobbing.

Eileen felt ill, but it had more to do with how she had eaten so many sweets. Even when she thought about it, it didn’t bother her very much. Pokémon weren’t human, and even though she had been taken into their world and turned into one, she couldn’t think of them as people. In her eyes, Rudy had just been an animal, and some animals were used for food. Even though he had spoken like a person, Eileen was incapable of making a connection.

“It’s over,” the Scyther announced stoically. She wanted to reassure Dion, but she knew she wouldn’t do a good job. “We can go back.”

Weeping, Dion got up. “Eileen, I can’t do this. I can’t be a hunter. Eileen… why do bad Pokémon have to exist? I became a hunter because I wanted to find treasure. I don’t want to see things like this. I don’t want to see bad stuff happen.”

Eileen was solemn. I knew this would happen. I didn’t think it would happen so soon, but it was inevitable. Dion was bound to find out about the real world sooner or later. She didn’t want to feel bad for him, but watching him cry made her pity the Carnivine. She couldn’t fully grasp the trauma he was experiencing, and she was aware of that.

Eileen stood up, her legs wobbling. Her stomach turned and she felt nauseous. “Let’s go.”

Dion sniffled some more. “I should have saved that Escape Orb for now. We’re never going to find our way out of here.”

The Scyther surveyed her surroundings. The place felt a little less unnerving now that the threat had been taken care of, but it didn’t help the fact that she knew they were lost. Taking the lead, she staggered into the mist.

 

[Ahnyo]

Chapter Six - Gnashing Teeth and Criminal Tongues​

The afternoon sun beat down on the Foreboding Bog. The air was humid and fetid, making it almost painful to breathe in.

Professor Pyroar plodded down the walkway with limp paws, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. “You picked a bad day to search the Foreboding Bog.” Her mane, which was adorned with shiny gold rings, was flat against her back.

“Yeah, really!” exclaimed the Gligar floating above her. “Why couldn’t we have gone to the Tundra Tunnels? We haven’t checked that place yet!”

“Shut up, Zip,” the Gabite snarled as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Do you really think Thorn would hide in a dungeon like that? She can’t take the cold, and neither can we.”

“I don’t think Thorn’s hiding in any dungeons,” said Pyroar. “We’ve been looking for weeks, and we haven’t found a single clue. It’s about time you called off your search and we got back to our lessons, Jet.”

“I’m going to find her,” Jet growled. “Zip and I are hunters. What good are we if we can’t even find our own teammate?”

Team Missile had been attending Manectric’s Academy for several months. Its three members—Jet the Gabite, Zip the Gligar, and Thorn the Scyther—complemented each other perfectly. Jet was the leader, and he was the strongest Pokémon on the team. He had a commanding presence about him and he was always the first to step into danger. Zip, although he was younger than his teammates, was speedy and good at covering Jet’s blind spots. Thorn, the third member, liked to contribute from the sidelines. She hadn’t been much of a fighter, but she was an expert strategist. That was, until she disappeared.

It wasn’t like her at all to go off on her own. Team Missile did everything together. It had happened so suddenly: she had been there when they had settled into bed, and by morning she was gone. She hadn’t said a word to her teammates, and she hadn’t been upset or angry at them. It didn’t make any sense at all, but Jet was determined to solve the mystery even though the rest of the academy had given up hope.

“Jet, the professor’s right,” said Zip, timidly tugging at his purple bandanna. He knew the Gabite was going to yell at him. “We have a lot of stuff to learn, and all we’re doing is wasting time.”

“Wasting time?” Jet roared. “We’re looking for our teammate. You think that’s wasting time? Don’t you care about Thorn?”

“I—”

Professor Pyroar cut Zip off. “He cares. Everyone at the academy cares. Jet, what you need to understand is that there comes a point where you just have to accept that someone’s gone. It’s been too long, and we’re not going to find her. Once you convince yourself to accept that, a lot of the stress goes away.”

Jet bared his teeth. “Oh, but what if Manectric went missing? There’s no way you’d just let it go!”

Pyroar sighed. “Jet, if it came to this point, I would. You just don’t understand.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand! You’re only saying that because you know Manectric’s safe at the academy. If she went missing for real, I bet you’d act way differently. You don’t understand what it’s like to lose somebody.”

The professor narrowed her eyes, flicked her tail, and kept walking without saying anything.

“Jet…” Zip groaned.

Jet glared at him.

“Boy, what’s gotten into you? You’re never this bad-tempered.”

Jet let out a loud growl. No one had any idea what he was going through, and it filled him with endless frustration. Thorn was more than just a teammate to Jet.

Professor Pyroar hesitated when she reached the end of the boardwalk. “I’m not going any further. It’s too wet for a Fire-type like me,” she said with a sneer. “You boys can go on ahead. Come meet me here when you’re done looking.”

“Got it,” said Zip as he zoomed past her.

The Gabite grumbled as he lowered himself into the steaming muck. He waddled through it in agitation as Zip effortlessly glided overhead.

“What’s this?” the Gligar shouted after Jet had taken a couple of steps. “I think I see something!”

Pyroar sat on her haunches and listened intently.

Jet let out a grunt and marched forward at a faster pace. He watched as Zip perched on a rock, dipped his pincer into a pool of water, and pulled out a muddy purple bandanna. “Purple,” the Gligar whimpered. “Team Missile’s color.”

“It’s Thorn’s!” Jet yelled, breaking into a sprint. “It’s gotta be Thorn’s!”

The professor curled her tail around her legs, speechless.

Zip waved the bandanna in the air like a flag. “I can’t believe it.”

Jet grinned and snatched the piece of cloth from him. He ran his claws through it and gave it a squeeze. “She’s here. Thorn’s somewhere in the Foreboding Bog.”

“It’s never a good idea to jump to conclusions,” the cynical Pyroar scolded from the walkway. “This doesn’t mean a thing. We don’t know how long ago she lost her bandanna. She could be anywhere by now.”

Jet hissed at her. Pyroar was a firm pessimist, and she always said things Jet didn’t want to hear. Jet didn’t know how she was able to get through life doubting everything. She only ever seemed happy when she was with her mate.

“We’re going to find her,” the Gabite said to Zip in defiance.

The Gligar nodded timidly. “Got it.” Jet could tell he agreed with the professor, and it made him angry. He was the leader of Team Missile, and Zip was supposed to listen to him. Pyroar might have been his teacher, but Jet was still his boss.

Zip hovered above the ground. “I see footprints!” he wailed. “Scyther footprints!”

“Are you serious? Follow them.”

“Can’t,” Zip murmured as he gestured at a stretch of stagnant water. “They stop here.”

Jet, who had caught sight of a patch of grass that had been hacked away, peered into the pool. “She must’ve flown over it. There goes our trail.”

Pyroar squinted. “No, look at the way the algae’s parted. Someone went in there recently. It looks like there was a struggle.”

A big circle of algae had been stripped away near the shore, revealing black water. An almost straight line trailed from it and ended at the side of the boardwalk.

“So you think she drowned?” the Gligar asked somberly.

“That appears to be the case.” Pyroar hung her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Thorn knows she can’t swim,” Jet corrected. “It couldn’t have been her. And what’s that?” He pointed at the path of black water. “Where’s her body?”

The professor thought, and then said, “Perhaps her body floated to the shore and a wild Pokémon carried it away.”

Jet gave the water a hard look. “No.”

“Jet, the evidence is right in front of you. There’s nothing we can do. Thorn is gone.” Professor Pyroar got up. “You have closure now, at least. Now, come. Let’s get back to the academy.”

“This isn’t closure,” the Gabite spat. “It’s like you said: she could be anywhere.”

“Listen to yourself, Jet. You’re going against what you originally said. Denial won’t do you any good.” She had her back turned to the two members of Team Missile.

Fuming, Jet glanced at Zip. The Gligar bowed his head. “Sorry, Jet,” he said before floating after his teacher.

For a moment Jet stood there, submerged in mud up to his knees. He was still clutching the purple bandanna. He watched as Pyroar trudged away and Zip followed, and he bared his teeth when the professor turned her head around to check if he was coming.

“Jet,” she hissed. She snorted and turned away.

The Gabite surrendered. He kept his eyes locked on the path in the water as he stormed after the other Pokémon. He knew Pyroar was wrong, and he refused to accept that Thorn had simply drowned. That couldn’t have been how she had gone: she was too smart to succumb to a watery grave when she could’ve easily avoided it, although Thorn was also too smart to run away from her team.

The Pokémon said nothing as they made the walk back to Manectric’s Academy. By the time they reached the old blue shack, the sun was still high in the sky. Pyroar lifted her paw and gave the door a gentle push. It opened, revealing a pit with a slanted step ladder. She treaded into the darkness, and her students followed.

The tunnel was lit by both blue orbs of electricity and red flames, trapped in glass jars or mounted atop wooden torches. The floor was carpeted with gravel. The Pokémon passed by door-less rooms as they ventured toward a big stone arch at the end of the tunnel. Jewels on strings dangled from the top and swung as they walked by. In the room, Headmistress Manectric sifted through a crate of gold Poké.

The headmistress rose and prowled over to them. “Welcome back.” Her tone was unusually pleasant. Manectric stepped past the Team Missile Pokémon and nuzzled Pyroar, who let out an affectionate purr. “Any luck? It doesn’t look like it,” she said with her cheek squashed against her mate’s.

“Headmistress,” Jet grumbled as he approached her. He held out the mud-caked bandanna.

Manectric stared at the piece of cloth. “Yes? Go on.”

Professor Pyroar moved away. “Zip found it in the middle of the Foreboding Bog, along with some other clues. All signs point to a drowning.”

Jet didn’t bother to argue.

Manectric stuck her nose in the fabric. “That’s unfortunate. If I were a superstitious Pokémon, I’d say this academy’s cursed. Something bad has happened to every Bug- and Flying-type Pokémon who’s enrolled.” She heaved a sigh. “We still don’t know what happened to Professor Vespiquen.”

“Professor Vespiquen?” Zip repeated.

The headmistress had a bittersweet look on her face. “Mm, yes. When we first started out as hunters, it wasn’t just Pyroar and me. Vespiquen disappeared not long after we founded the academy. At that point, we didn’t even have any students.” She let out a wary laugh. “I miss Vespiquen, I really do. But I must admit running the academy is much more peaceful without her. She had some kind of superiority complex and she always went around trying to do my job for me.”

Pyroar glared at Jet in scorn the entire time, and the Gabite shuddered. Manectric was either lying, or she was heartless. How could she forget about her friend and even goes as far as to crack jokes about her? The headmistress had a sharp tongue, but that was just too much. Jet was disgusted.

Manectric cleared her throat, moving on. “You know, it’s interesting that you wound up finding that bandanna today, ‘cause a little birdie told me something I was sure was related to the case earlier.” She, as Jet had come to learn, was referring to a Pokémon by the name of Honchkrow the Trader—a shady merchant that she regularly pawned off treasure to. He also appeared to be very acquainted with Origin Plaza’s gossip scene, which Manectric took much interest in. The two met frequently, usually when Professor Pyroar was out teaching lessons.

“Seems there was a string of disappearances in Foggy Falls over the past couple of moons. The Plaza was surprisingly hush-hush about it, and wait ‘til I tell you why! The perpetrator was none other than sweet old Slurpuff from the market! Wonder just how many shopkeepers were in on it? Toxicroak swears on his life he had no part in it, but he’s Toxicroak for crying out loud. That smile of his is impossible to trust. Oh, did I mention that Slurpuff used Itemizer Orbs to commit her crimes? I can’t believe Arcanine let him go. Actually, yes I can. There won’t be any justice in Origin Plaza ‘til that geezer kicks the bucket.”

She continued. “There’s more to it than that. The hunting team that took her down had a new kid in it—a Scyther! I didn’t manage to catch her name, but from what I heard she’s around the same age as Thorn. What a strange coincidence… if it is a coincidence, anyway.”

Jet’s mouth was hanging open. “You think it was her?” It didn’t make any sense. Why would Thorn leave Manectric’s Academy to join Arcanine’s? She wouldn’t, and it infuriated Jet that the headmistress had the nerve to even suggest something like that.

“It’s a possibility,” said Manectric. “She was a tricky Pokémon. I could see her wanting to swipe Arcanine’s treasures right out from under his nose. But, you know, she’s not the only Scyther in the world. I don’t believe Scyther are common in these parts, though. I’d have you head over to Arcanine’s to check, but I can’t imagine he’d be very happy with that idea. Then again, if it is Thorn, I doubt she had any problems getting in.” She let out a chuckle. “Arcanine’s Academy is incredible, isn’t it? I bet he’d let a criminal join if he didn’t look suspicious. That’s why it amazes me that he rejected me all those years ago.”

Manectric loved to bring up the tale of her attempt to join Arcanine’s Academy, usually to highlight the headmaster’s hypocrisy. According to her, he was biased and determined whether or not a Pokémon was eligible for enrollment by the way it presented itself. If an aspiring student did so much as smirk, Arcanine would turn them down.

Consequently, Manectric was extremely lenient about who she accepted into her academy. It hadn’t happened yet, but Jet thought she was much more likely to let a criminal enroll. Most of the Pokémon of Origin Plaza had come to accept a rumor about Manectric’s Academy crawling with ne’er-do-wells. The rumor had undoubtedly originated in Arcanine’s Academy, and as far as Jet knew, it wasn’t the slightest bit true. Some of the other students were petty—even the headmistress herself could be dishonest at times—but Manectric’s Academy was just as legitimate as Arcanine’s was. They went on rescue missions and collected their own treasures, although the hunters at Manectric’s Academy were notably more subtle about their deeds.

Arcanine’s students were overly proud. They boasted about their achievements to everyone in town and they’d all celebrate and give them pats on the back. Jet thought it was pitiable. Arcanine’s Academy was more well-known (and more trustworthy, supposedly) than its rival school, so more Pokémon went there for help. That gave Manectric and Pyroar more time to teach their students and take them treasure hunting, however. Jet liked the laidback atmosphere of Manectric’s Academy; he couldn’t imagine being assigned missions every day. He wondered if Arcanine’s students even had time to be taught lessons.

“Anyway,” said Headmistress Manectric, “now that that’s settled, I’d like if you two returned to your regularly scheduled lessons.” Pyroar nodded in silent agreement.

“We can’t start learning things again without Thorn. She’ll miss out on everything,” the stubborn Jet grumbled.

“Jet,” Zip said with a sigh.

Professor Pyroar spoke again at last. “We went over this already, Jet. Please don’t start.”

Manectric blinked, unaware of what they had discussed in the dungeon. “I know you didn’t accomplish anything today—just like the past few days—but you’ve done enough. You can have the rest of the day to yourselves.” She looked at Pyroar. “You were going to do a lecture on imposter items, weren’t you? I can find something for the remaining students to do.”

Her mate dipped her head. “Sounds like a plan.” Manectric shoved her box of coins into a cluttered corner, and then she and Pyroar ambled down the hall. Jet watched them leave through narrowed eyes.

He thought back to what Headmistress Manectric had said about the Scyther enrolled in Arcanine’s Academy. As much as he wanted to believe that Thorn wouldn’t do such a thing, the idea was hopeful in a way. If that Scyther was her, it meant that she was alive. Manectric had warned him, but he had to do it: he had to pay Arcanine’s Academy a visit and see if it wasn’t her. He knew Zip wouldn’t approve of the plan, which left him with a single option: like Thorn, he’d have to sneak off by himself.

That was what he was going to do, and with luck he wouldn’t meet the same fate that Pyroar was convinced Thorn had.

-

The purple evening sky gave Arcanine’s Academy a shadowy appearance, which deepened Dion’s feelings of despair. The Carnivine didn’t know who he could trust anymore. He and his teammate had avoided Origin Plaza, which was a good thing. Dion didn’t want to look at the shopkeepers’ friendly smiles and worry if they were hiding something sinister like Slurpuff. Everything that he had once seen as comforting and safe had become threatening, and the academy was no exception. As if the two had swapped personalities, Eileen took the lead while Dion trudged behind.

The drawbridge was hanging open, waiting for them. Pokémon gathered in the foyer turned their heads when the team of rookies passed through the entrance. Headmaster Arcanine ambled down the stairs and pushed past a cluster of students. “Ohoho, you’re back! We were starting to worry about you.” He sat on his haunches. “So, how’d it go?”

Dion glanced at the Pokémon around him. “Headmaster,” he requested in a small voice, “would it be all right if we spoke in private?”

Arcanine blinked suspiciously. “Whatever for? Aye, well, it is close to suppertime. If you don’t mind, we could talk while the others are eating.”

“Okay,” stammered the Carnivine.

“Ya hear that, my students? Go to the dining hall. Muk will have something tasty cooked up for you in no time.” The young hunters obliged in spite of their confusion. Once they had cleared away, Arcanine demanded, “Spit it out, lad! Aye, that friend of yours is a bad influence, I swear.”

The headmaster’s impatience didn’t make Dion feel any better. “It’s Slurpuff,” he said with his head down.

“What? Surely you’re mistaken! Slurpuff’s got the heart of a Togekiss. She’d never dream of doing anything like that!”

“No,” Dion murmured, shaking his head. “It was her. I saw her do it, and then we… we stopped her. Or rather, I did. Eileen had no part in this; she’s innocent. What I did was an accident, and it was only after Slurpuff did the same thing to another Pokémon.”

“What you’re saying is that Slurpuff was responsible, and you killed her.” Arcanine’s bluntness made Dion sniffle again. The headmaster stared at him intensely with his good eye, and the Carnivine could feel disappointment and rage tearing through him. “The object of your mission was to stop the perpetrator, and you’re telling me it was good Shopkeeper Slurpuff?”

“Yes,” said Dion, “that’s right. She used Itemizer Orbs. She said she had another one in her bag—agh! I should’ve brought it back with me. I wasn’t thinking, Headmaster. There was so much going on, and I was scared. I’m sorry, Headmaster.” The Carnivine’s stress was making him appear wilted.

Arcanine maintained his hard stare. “Dion,” he rasped. “You’re a good Pokémon. I know you are. This has come as a huge shock to me, but… I will believe you.” He flinched when he turned his head and noticed Eileen, as if he had forgotten she was there. “Do you agree with what I am saying?”

She nodded.

The headmaster huffed. “Was that a yes? Could ya try using that mouth of yours next time? It’s awfully hard to see little gestures like that when I’ve only got one eye.”

“Yes,” Eileen said in a voice that was barely audible.

“That’s not much better. I suppose we should let your pal do the talking.”

Dion was having trouble getting his voice to come out. “Headmaster, am I in trouble?”

“Goodness no!” bellowed Arcanine. “What you did goes against the academy’s code of conduct. That is true—but there’s a loophole. Your lives are more important than any of the rules. Slurpuff, you say, was a threat to your safety, and you acted out of self-defense. Any Pokémon would’ve done the same. If Slurpuff was the one causing the disappearances, she was a criminal. We may never know what her motives are, but now the Pokémon of Foggy Falls can sleep at ease. I told you to bring the perpetrator to justice, and you did exactly that.”

Dion didn’t seem to take in any of what the old Pokémon had said. “I don’t think I can be a hunter anymore,” he admitted.

His confession startled the headmaster. “What? Why’s that? Lad, I said you’re not in trouble. I apologize if I scared ya.”

The Carnivine broke eye contact. “Being a hunter isn’t what I thought it would be like. I don’t want to watch others get hurt by bad Pokémon.”

“That should give you all the more reason to serve as a hunter,” Arcanine said, puffing out his chest. He had an air of pride about him. “You’ll see all kinds of awful things as a hunter. You have already witnessed something terrible, and as much as I’d like to assure you that you’ll never see anything like that again, this is only the beginning. What you need to remember is that one of our duties as hunters is to keep these things from happening. You’re not always able to save everyone, and I know it’s hard, but you have to do the best you can and think about the Pokémon you did protect.

“Think about all the Pokémon living in Foggy Falls. Imagine their smiling faces and the relief they’re feeling now that the menace of Foggy Falls is gone. Someone saved you, and it was you. If you hadn’t saved them, who would? Hunters are committed to making sure justice is served. It’s heavy work—work reserved only for the most courageous of individuals. I think you have what it takes, but if you really feel as though the life of a hunter is not for you, I will oblige. The decision is yours.”

Headmaster Arcanine’s pride was contagious. Dion was hesitant at first, but then he felt it creeping up his leaves. It was a glowing kind of warmth: a sense of purpose or renewal. Dion was being selfish by not wanting to deal with bad Pokémon, and Arcanine had opened his eyes. Justice: he liked the way the word sounded when Arcanine said it aloud, and he liked the meaning it held. Suddenly, justice was more important to him than treasure could ever be. In the heat of his passion, he vowed that he would be there for Pokémon like Rudy. He vowed that he would do all he could to make the world closer to being free of the horrible things Arcanine said he’d witness.

Dion glanced at his teammate to see if she had been struck by the same epiphany, but the Scyther was emotionless. It didn’t matter much to him. The Carnivine looked the headmaster in the eye. “You’re right,” he affirmed. “I was looking at being a hunter the wrong way, but I see now. I’m going to be the best hunter I can be. I want to make a difference, and I want to make sure all Pokémon get the justice they deserve.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear!” Headmaster Arcanine had a big smile on his face. “I knew you wouldn’t be so quick to give up. From the moment you enrolled, I knew you had a lot of spirit. Just keep your head up and never let anything get in the way of that dream of yours. As long as you put in your best effort, I promise you you’ll get there.”

Arcanine and his student’s moment of mutual pride didn’t last very long. “Oh, yes. You were right: that mission wasn’t supposed to be for you. It seems there was a mistake in my schedule. I’ll have you know that my Diamond Rank students weren’t very thrilled about having to sit through a basic training session.” He let out a hearty laugh, disregarding how his carelessness had nearly gotten the rookies killed. “I have a session planned for Team Masquerade tomorrow. Since they were the newest recruits before you two enrolled, I think we could do a joint lesson. It’ll help you get to know them better, and you’ll both learn some useful skills. If it goes well, I could do some more lessons like that in the future. It would certainly be more efficient.”

Dion and Eileen exchanged a dejected look, but neither of them said anything.

“Let’s not worry about that now. We have work to do.”

Dion cocked his head to the side. “Huh?”

The headmaster explained, “Slurpuff might’ve been defeated, but we’re not done yet. Like I said, it’ll be hard to identify her motive, but we may be able to conduct a follow-up investigation. She might not have been the only one involved. We also have to report back to the Pokémon that assigned us the job.”

Dion groaned quietly enough that Arcanine didn’t hear him. After everything he had gone through, he just wanted to call it a day and get some sleep. He had to remind himself of his promise to give himself incentive.

“You mentioned something about Itemizer Orbs?” Arcanine furrowed his brows. “Toxicroak is the primary supplier of Orbs in Origin Plaza. He might have some information.” He shook his head. “I can only hope he didn’t play a part in the crime. Origin Plaza’s merchants are essential to our academy. If we can’t trust them, where will we get our supplies?”

The headmaster strode up to the door. “I will accompany you to Origin Plaza. Let’s hope Chef Muk will be able to keep those rascals under control.” The elderly Pokémon seemed to be experiencing a surprisingly long moment of lucidity. He spoke directly, his voice was less slurred, and he had even stopped drooling. In that state, it was easy to see the strength and nobility he has possessed in his youth. As times went on, however, those moments became fewer and fewer. Subsequently, Arcanine had more violent episodes and confusion. It was tragic to watch the wise, honorable hunter be transformed by his worsening dementia.

Arcanine led his students out of the academy and into the town. Dion was glad they didn’t have to go past Slurpuff’s shop: he couldn’t bear to look at the now abandoned market stall. The headmaster barged into Toxicroak’s tent and stood at the entrance, baring his broken teeth.

Toxicroak was in the middle of stocking his shelves. “If it isn’t Headmaster Arcanine. Boy, I wasn’t expecting you to stop by.” He pulled a pulsing blue Orb out of a box and set it on a counter. “How can I help you?”

Headmaster Arcanine stood there, saliva dripping down his furry chin.

“Sir, are you hungry? I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place.”

Dion knew he had to speak up. “Do you know anything about what happened in Foggy Falls? The outlaw was using Wonder Orbs. Itemizer Orbs, to be specific.”

Toxicroak blinked. “News to me. Where in the world did they find Itemizer Orbs? They’re banned in Origin Plaza, have been for a while.” He suddenly looked offended. “Hey, are you thinking I had something to do with it? Even if I did sell Itemizer Orbs still, it’s not like I would have any control over what my customers did with them. All of my wares have the potential to help or to harm. Why would I keep these tools away from Pokémon who intend to put them to good use just because someone might do something irresponsible? … Of course, Itemizer Orbs are an exception. No good can come out of those, heheh.”

Dion listened to what Toxicroak had to say. He saw his point, but at the same time he didn’t think he could trust him. Before he had a chance to voice his opinion, Arcanine butted in. “Aye, any item sold in Origin Plaza can be used as a weapon—even something as innocuous as a Pecha Berry, if your foe happens to be allergic. Shopkeepers shouldn’t be held accountable for what their clients do with their wares, but don’t let this convince you I’m letting you off the hook. I’ll be keeping my eye on you. If anything else suspicious involving Wonder Orbs goes down, you can expect to see your business shut down.”

Toxicroak’s perpetual grin masked his emotions. “Wise words, Headmaster. Though, if you do happen upon another outlaw who uses Orbs, I’d be more than willing to aid you in your investigation. My business’s reputation is of upmost importance to me, and I’d like to know where these banned items are being produced. I’d hate to find out that I’ve been purchasing my merchandise from bootleggers.”

Dion agreed with Arcanine’s decision, both because he was his headmaster and he could do no wrong and because he was scared of what might happen if he were to argue with him. Toxicroak was making him a little uncomfortable, but that wasn’t unusual for the creepy Poison-type Pokémon. The Carnivine remembered something. “Oh, while we’re here, could we buy another Escape Orb?”

Toxicroak seemed to forget all about what they had been discussing. “I see you’ve taken a liking to them. Handy little things, aren’t they?” He pulled one of the black Orbs off of a counter. “It’s yours. Consider it your reward for whatever service you just did for Origin Plaza.”

“Wah!” exclaimed Dion. “You’re giving it to me for free?” He instantly thought of Slurpuff and her deceptive kindness.

“Well, if you insist, I could charge you full price for it.” The merchant forcefully shoved it into the Carnivine’s hand. “Just take it, kid.”

“There’s no shame in accepting a reward, lad!” Arcanine bellowed. He was examining a shelf of goods, weaving his snout between Orbs.

“Careful, Headmaster!” Toxicroak snapped. The old Pokémon whipped his head around, knocking down an Orb. It lit up and activated when it hit the floor. Unaccompanied by a puff of smoke or flash of light typical of Wonder Orbs, Arcanine disappeared.

“Headmaster?” wailed Dion.

Toxicroak sighed and shook his head. “Old fleabag must’ve used a Warp Orb on himself. Don’t worry: if he’s a hunter worth his Badges, he’ll find his way back to the academy eventually.”

“What was that?” rasped Arcanine’s voice.

The shopkeeper jumped. After he collected himself, he said, “Ah, so it seems you’ve used an Invisify Orb. I suppose I won’t charge you either, since after all you’re the one in charge of these budding hunters. Do enjoy your prize, Headmaster. Just don’t expect me to be this generous in the future.”

“Invisify Orb?” Dion stuttered.

“You’re pretty clueless, ain’t ya?” Toxicroak groaned. “As you can—or can’t—see, he’s turned invisible. He’s still Headmaster Arcanine through and through; you just can’t see him. The effect should wear off in about a day.”

“That’s no good,” Arcanine remarked. “How am I supposed to return to my students like this?” He was otherwise unfazed by his disappearance.

Toxicroak made like he was going to scold the elderly headmaster, but he thought better of it. “That’s for you to figure out, but I suggest you do it outside of my shop. You wouldn’t want to damage any more of my merchandise, would you?”

“Fair enough. Follow me, you two. It’s getting late: we can wrap up this case another time.”

Dion and Eileen exchanged looks of uncertainty. They stayed close to each other’s side as they trudged out of the tent, hoping they wouldn’t bump into Arcanine.

 

[Ahnyo]

Chapter Seven - The Plague Doctor

​

Again, Eileen had too much on her mind to be able to fall asleep with ease. First, she thought about the Gummis Dion had convinced her to try. When she thought about it, it didn’t seem too strange that they were made from Pokémon. Most gummy candy, she recalled, contained gelatin, which was made from animal bones and other parts. Slurpuff’s Gummis hadn’t been made in quite the same way, but what did Dion think he was eating?

Cleo was right after all, Eileen realized. I am a cannibal, I guess. It shouldn’t have surprised her, but finding out that Pokémon frowned upon eating meat disappointed her. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life eating nothing but fruit and whatever concoctions Chef Muk cooked up! Her mouth watered at the thought of a medium rare Miltank steak or a roast Farfetch’d. She scolded herself. Knock it off, Eileen. In this world, that’s disgusting—like, eating a baby disgusting.

That led her to muse about Slurpuff’s crime and Toxicroak’s possible link to the act. The world of Pokémon wasn’t very advanced when it came to technology, so dealing with criminals had to be a nightmare. They had no proper way of collecting evidence and relied on the word of the witnesses alone. What if Dion had lied and killed Slurpuff for no reason? What if Toxicroak did supply Slurpuff with the Itemizer Orbs? Headmaster Arcanine had let both of them walk free and didn’t appear to be in any rush to finish the investigation. It disturbed her how flawed the system was, but she was at least grateful that Pokémon were less likely to be punished for crimes they did not commit.

When Arcanine came into her and Dion’s room that morning, bellowing for them to get up, Eileen first thought it was all in her head. Though the sound seemed to be coming from the middle of the room, no one was there.

“C’mon, lass, on your feet! Don’t be thinking I can’t see you just ‘cause you can’t see me.”

Oh, right. The Invisify Orb . The headmaster’s indiscernible form made her nervous. Arcanine was already unpredictable, but at least his massive size and fiery pelt gave him away. The Scyther didn’t like the idea of not being able to see one of his attacks coming. She would have to be careful, even though she didn’t know what exactly triggered his aggression. That gave her all the more reason to take caution.

Dion was already out of bed. “Don’t forget about our training session, Headmaster.”

“’Course I haven’t forgotten, my boy! I’m old, but I’m still as sharp as a Honedge.”

A Honedge’s hilt, I suppose, Eileen retorted in her head, but even that’s a stretch. She dropped down from her bunk with less hesitation, but still stumbled upon landing.

“Team Masquerade’s already out in the courtyard. We wouldn’t want to make them wait,” said Arcanine.

“I’ve never been to the courtyard before. Neither has Eileen, of course.” Dion sounded excited, but there was a hint of reluctance in his tone. He probably didn’t like being reminded of how they were going to be working with Team Masquerade.

“You’ll become very accustomed to it soon. It’s where all training sessions take place,” the headmaster told him. “We can talk more about it when we get there.”

When the three of them left the room, they were greeted by the sight of Chef Muk hauling her slimy body up the stairs. She stopped. “Have either of you seen the headmaster?” Her voice was shaking.

Dion spoke up. “Yeah, he’s—”

“What is it, Chef Muk?” Arcanine interrupted.

Chef Muk blinked, her mouth hanging open. “Arcanine? Where are you?”

The old Pokémon let out a laugh. “I’m right in front of you, my dear! I had a little accident with an Invisify Orb, but I should be back to normal soon.”

“Oh, what a relief. I couldn’t find you anywhere. I was really worried, considering what’s going on in town.”

“Say what?”

Chef Muk cleared her throat. “When I left my house, Origin Plaza was deserted. All of the shops were closed and no one was out on the streets. I decided to pay Aromatisse a visit to see if he knew what was going on, and he wouldn’t have let me in if it weren’t for the fact that I’m likely immune thanks to my typing. Apparently Origin Plaza’s been struck by a highly contagious disease. Everyone’s trying to avoid contact with other Pokémon, but it’s not working. Pokémon are still falling ill left and right. I figured I might as well warn you, since it won’t be long before it spreads to the academy.”

“A disease is nothing we hunters can’t handle! I’ve been sick plenty of times. I eat your cooking, after all.”

The cook was more offended by his lack of seriousness than the jab itself. “Headmaster Arcanine, this is not something to joke about. It’s too early to know how severe of an illness it is, but it doesn’t look good. It could be an epidemic.”

Arcanine still showed little concern. “Well, what do you want me to do about it? My hunters fight outlaws, not disease.”

“Perhaps you could send some students out to tend to the ill… deliver food and supplies or something. I know they haven’t been trained for this kind of thing, but there has to be something they can do. They’re supposed to be there to protect Origin Plaza, you know.”

The headmaster humored her. “Fine, then. I’ll leave you in charge of rounding up the senior students and organizing a party. I’ve got a training session to supervise.”

Chef Muk nodded and began to head back down the stairs, but then paused as if she had remembered something. “Aromatisse said he heard a rumor about a strange medicine Pokémon. He’s been traveling the land to offer aid to victims of plague, whom he locates using his Psychic powers. Maybe he’ll arrive in Origin Plaza and help us.”

Arcanine chuckled. “In that case, we have nothing to worry about!”

The slimy cook grunted and slithered into the foyer.

Pokémon have the ability to detect outbreaks of disease across the globe, but the justice system is practically nonexistent. This world never ceases to amaze me, thought Eileen.

“I don’t want to catch the disease, Headmaster. How am I going to be able to do my training if I’m sick?” Dion moaned.

“Like I said, there’s no need to worry, lad. Muk’s blowing things out of proportion. Paranoia is a highly contagious disease as well, but we’re strong enough to resist it,” Headmaster Arcanine assured him. “Come, now. Let’s go to the courtyard before anyone else comes along and distracts us.”

The courtyard was approximately the same size as the foyer. Taking up the majority of the area was a big square of bare dirt. Off to the side were barrels, crates, and a few green training dummies. Eileen had been expecting something more elegant—a garden filled with lovely flowers and fountains, perhaps—but this set-up seemed more practical. She gazed at one of the dummies, itching to hook her scythes into it.

Cleo and her teammates were in the middle of the dirt patch. “If it isn’t the two heroes of Foggy Falls. It’s an honor to be training by your side.” The Yamask’s tone was as snide as usual, but she appeared to be lacking some of her confidence. Did she sound the slightest bit jealous?

“Why, yes! I’m very proud of both of them.” Arcanine was probably giving his big, partially toothless grin. “Now, why don’t you all properly introduce yourselves?”

“Trust me, we’ve already heard plenty about you guys,” scoffed Cleo. “As for us, I’m Cleo, and these are Sheldon and Stella.” She motioned at the Shelmet and Karrablast with her mask.

Dion frowned. “Can’t they introduce themselves? You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard either of them talk.”

Stella the Karrablast opened her mouth to say something, but Cleo cut her off. “Says the one who always speaks for his teammate. Sheldon and Stella aren’t like your Scyther friend; they’d speak up if they had something to say.” Her Bug-type teammates exchanged nervous glances.

“Enough with the bickering! That’s not the kind of fighting you’re supposed to be learning about,” Headmaster Arcanine barked.

Cleo snapped, “Get on with the lesson, then.”

The headmaster wheezed. “All right, students. The first thing you should know is that attacks fall into two basic categories. One of these categories is much more complicated than the other, but I’ll get into that later. First, we have standard attacks. These attacks are simple and done without any effort: a slap or a swipe, for example. They do not have Power Points, thus they can be used an unlimited number of times. However, since they do not draw upon our power, they are quite weak. They are best for dealing with weak enemies, and they can also be used as a last resort if you’ve run out of Power Points and you didn’t pack a Max Elixir.”

“That’s all common knowledge, Headmaster. Even Dion and Eileen must’ve known it if they were able to complete their mission,” groaned Cleo.

“Well, we have to start somewhere.” One of the green dummies floated up into the air and hovered over to the group of Pokémon. The sight startled Dion, but he calmed down when he realized it had been moved by the invisible Arcanine. “I’d like each of you to try out your standard attacks on these Substitute dolls. I can’t exactly give you a proper demonstration, but according to Cleo, you all already have a good handle on standard attacks.”

Each of the young Pokémon grabbed a dummy and brought it into the dirt square. Eileen had to tightly squeeze hers between the blunt sides of her scythes. She stood there for a moment, waiting to observe the other students. Her eyes landed on Cleo, who was alternating between bashing the doll with her mask and slapping it. Dion curled his leafy hands into fists and punched his Substitute, while Cleo’s teammates tackled their targets.

The Scyther nodded to herself. This is how unarmed humans fight. No magic or supernatural powers—just pure physical combat. Now that she had seen some examples, the task seemed easy. She stepped back, kicked, and then followed up with a swift slash.

“Whoa now, lass! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves!” cried Arcanine.

Eileen choked, “Huh?”

“My students, there is a big difference between standard attacks and physical moves. What Eileen just demonstrated was Quick Attack. It is true that Quick Attack has a low Power Point cost, but it is a move nonetheless and it is capable of being spent up.” Eileen felt Arcanine’s tail brush against her shoulder. “Lass, you’re too tense. You need to relax your muscles and put your mind at ease. I can tell you’re anxious, which is making you exert unnecessary energy. Take a deep breath and try again.”

“Oh, my bad. Looks like some of us really do need practice with standard attacks,” Cleo sniggered.

“It’s a beginner’s mistake. You can’t expect someone who’s lost her memory to be able to do everything right off the bat,” said the headmaster. “There was a time when you struggled with the same kinds of things, but then you learned from your mistakes and here you are now. That’s the entire point of this academy: educating Pokémon and helping them hone their skills.”

Cleo ignored most of his response. “Standard attacks are something that comes naturally to Pokémon. It’d be like forgetting how to eat, or to breathe! At least I had a valid excuse as to why I couldn’t do them at first.” She held up her mask in feigned sorrow.

“You two aren’t all that different from one another,” Arcanine huffed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” hissed the Yamask.

Dion waved his hands in front of him. “Arcanine…!”

The oblivious headmaster chuckled. “Eileen claims to have once been human, just like you!”

Dion lowered his head and covered his face in defeat.

Cleo had a blank look on her face as she took in the information. Then, she smirked. “Did she, now? It’s a well-established fact that Yamask are born from the souls of humans interred in ancient tombs, but a human being reborn as a Scyther? That’s preposterous. Someone’s a little hungry for attention, isn’t she? For someone so quiet, you have an awful lot of made-up stories to share.”

The Carnivine looked like he wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words. Eileen knew it was because he agreed with Cleo, even though he didn’t want to admit it. She had done all that she could to convince him that her word was true, but he still doubted her. Maybe it was because she wasn’t good at articulating her point, or maybe it was because of the absurdity of her claim. As much as it peeved her, Eileen tried to accept that she wouldn’t change his mind.

“Enough, everyone! We’re losing focus,” Arcanine snapped in scorn. He waited for a Pokémon to protest, but they remained silent. “Where were we? Oh, yes. Eileen, you were going to show me a standard attack. Have at it!”

The Scyther had nearly forgotten about her task. She was hesitant. She hated being singled out, and Cleo’s burning red gaze put even more pressure on her. Eileen closed her eyes. Just get it over with so we can move on. She reminded herself not to think about what she was doing, which only made her think about it more. She twisted her thorax, using her frustration at her unhelpful mind to fuel her strike. The Scyther’s blade cleanly cut across the doll’s chest.

“That’s it, lass! Well done,” Arcanine said warmly.

Eileen dropped her gaze to the ground and stepped back. I don’t really get what I did differently. The purpose of the lesson was to learn about things like that—but even though she didn’t fully understand the concept, she didn’t want to dwell on the topic and she couldn’t get bring herself to take her question to Arcanine. Learning how to harness her abilities had sounded good in theory, but engaging in the lesson was a different story. Eileen’s anxiety smothered her ambition.

“Okay, students. Now we can move onto learning about moves! This is where things get interesting,” declared the headmaster. “Let us begin.”

I’m already proficient with Quick Attack, so this can’t be too bad . Eileen stretched her arms.

“As a Pokémon gains experience and grows stronger, it gains access to a greater variety of attacks. The moves a Pokémon learns are dependent on its species; thus, a Pokémon’s move set is reliably predictable. Technically, moves are just a construct. They’re simply variations of standard attacks, or of each other. As you observed, Eileen’s Quick Attack is strikingly similar to her standard attack. There are, however, several key differences. Who can name one of these differences?”

“Ooh, ooh!” Dion’s hand flew up. “Moves have types like we do!”

Arcanine responded, “Very good, lad. Standard attacks are equally effective against all types, but the trade-off is that they’re much weaker than moves. Don’t confuse them with Normal-type moves, though; those have the potential to be much stronger!” He continued, “A Pokémon’s moves don’t always match its type. This may give it an advantage over a foe it would normally struggle against. I am a Fire-type Pokémon, but I can use Double Kick, a Fighting-type move. This gives me an edge on those pesky Rock-types! One of the most important things to remember is your type match-ups, but that’s a lesson for another day. Let’s take things one at a time.”

The concept wasn’t foreign to Eileen. In fact, she recalled mulling over her and Dion’s types while battling the Kabuto in Emerald Grotto. It was a strange thing for her to remember in so much detail. Why was her memory so selective?

“Moves have Power Points, while standard attacks do not,” Cleo stated with an air of pride once Arcanine had finished.

“That is correct. Power Points refer to the number of times a move can be used before it is exhausted. Generally speaking, the weaker a move is, the more times it can be used. Flamethrower can be used more times than Fire Blast, but fewer times than Ember. Use your moves wisely. Power Points can be replenished by ingesting a nutritious Max Elixir or getting a good rest, but if you play it smart, you won’t even have to worry about that.”

The door to the courtyard opened and Chef Muk lumbered in. “Sorry to interrupt, but Arcanine, I need your assistance.”

The old Pokémon groaned. “What is it?”

“There aren’t enough blankets to go around in Origin Plaza. We need to borrow some, but we don’t know where you keep the spares. And when I say “we”, I mean me. The students have come down with the disease. They did their best, though.”

The reluctant headmaster said to his students, “I’ll only be a minute. While I’m gone, practice using some moves. Your Substitute dolls will stand in as your substitute teachers, ohoho. I have a lot more to teach you when I get back.”

None of the younger Pokémon moved from their spots when they left. Dion murmured, “Sounds like this disease stuff is getting bad. We’re lucky we haven’t caught it.”

“It won’t be long,” muttered Cleo. She kept eyeing Eileen suspiciously, as if she were accusing her of something. She picked up her mask and ran her hand down its features, and then set it back in its place. “Eileen, I want to speak with you.”

Eileen opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She had a pretty good idea of what Cleo wanted to talk about.

“Stella, Sheldon. Keep Vines-for-Brains entertained.” The Yamask grabbed Eileen’s upper arm and forced her to walk to the other end of the courtyard.
“Hey, what are you—” Dion cut himself off, realizing there was no point in arguing.

Cleo let go when they were up against the academy’s stone wall. She glared at the Scyther. “You claim to have been human,” she said bitterly. There was a hint of something else in her voice. Empathy? Hope? Eileen hadn’t known she was capable of those emotions.

She nodded nervously.

Cleo scowled. “That’s not good enough. What exactly makes you think you were human? I’m not trying to play a game here. This is serious.”

Eileen froze up. She hadn’t even been able to explain it to Dion—how was she going to convince the intimidating Yamask? “You have to believe me,” she pleaded.

“Give me a reason,” hissed Cleo, and yet something in Eileen’s reply seemed to speak to her. Her normally piercing gaze turned passive as she became lost in thought. When she regained herself, she whispered, “No one believed me, either. They still don’t think I’m telling the truth. Even my own teammates doubt me.”

No wonder she’s always grumpy. Even after making the connection, Eileen couldn’t bring herself to feel sorry for her.

Cleo folded her arms. “I don’t like believing things when I don’t have any proof,” she said, “but maybe what we need is trust. Even if you’re making this up… you at least believe me, right?” The desperation in her tone didn’t suit her at all.

Eileen started to nod, but stopped when she realized that wouldn’t make her point clear enough. “I’m telling the truth.”

The Yamask looked conflicted. “Pokémon have such a hard time accepting things they don’t find normal.” Eileen couldn’t tell if she was aware of her hypocrisy. “In a place like this, is there anything truly normal, though? When I was reborn as a Yamask, everything was all wrong. I still don’t feel like I belong here. When I’m out in a dungeon, I feel like I should be commanding my teammates, not joining in the fight. Don’t you feel the same way?”

Eileen shrugged. Cleo’s words resonated with her, but she’d be much more comfortable writing about an adventure than going on one, no matter how she participated in it. She wondered if writing was important to Cleo.

The Yamask grunted. “Well, if none of the Pokémon want to believe us, so be it. We have each other, and that’s all we need. Maybe we can even find a way to become human again. Oh, the things I’d do to return to my normal self…”

Eileen dipped her head in approval. She found herself questioning Cleo’s motives. It was hard for her to tell if she was being sincere or if she was trying to take advantage of her somehow. She wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she was skeptical. Cleo, if she wasn’t just pretending, seemed equally wary. If they were supposed to trust each other, they were off to a bad start.

“Milady!” Sheldon scrambled up to them, his helmet-like shell clanking noisily.

Cleo’s venom returned. “What?”

He was out of breath. “It’s Stella. I think she’s fallen ill.”

“It was inevitable, just like I said.”

“Oh, what are we going to do? Where’s Arcanine? Shouldn’t he be back by now?” Dion stuck his fingers in his mouth.

“Do you really think he’d be of any help, you oaf?” Cleo growled. She shoved past Dion and Sheldon. “Out of my way. Let me take a look.” Eileen’s instinct told her to keep away from the purportedly sick Pokémon, but according to Chef Muk, she was bound to catch the disease anyway. She moved toward the other Pokémon, wanting to see what symptoms she had to look forward to.

Stella was lying in the middle of the dirt patch. She was shivering, but there was also sweat collecting on her forehead. The Karrablast moaned in a hoarse voice, only to be interrupted by a coughing fit.

“It all happened so fast!” Dion cried. “One minute she was standing there, and the next…! Oh, this is bad! Bad, bad, bad!”

“You’re not helping.” Cleo’s voice had grown considerably weaker after seeing the state of her teammate. It was clear that she was at a loss for what to do.

“I’m gonna find the headmaster,” Dion declared, trying his best to sound bold. “Come on, Eileen. Let’s go together.”

“You’ll be wasting your time,” warned Cleo.

“It’s not your time I’ll be wasting,” Dion retorted, standing up to the bully for perhaps the first time. The Carnivine was on edge, making his speech brasher.

Cleo was slightly impressed. She turned her back to him and closed her eyes. “Suit yourself.”

“Come on,” Dion repeated to Eileen.

The Scyther bobbed her head and the two of them began to head for the door. It’s like I’m just being dragged along everywhere, Eileen thought as she entered the building. Come this way. Now go that way. She would’ve appreciated some independence, but then again, she probably wouldn’t know what to do with it.

The foyer was empty. Eileen hadn’t seen it that way since she first arrived at the academy, and it brought back memories of the crazed headmaster appearing at the top of the stairs before initiating his attack. Maybe we’re not alone. Paranoid, Eileen scanned the room. In her mind, she was being hunted by two unseen enemies: the disease and the invisible Arcanine.

“Headmaster!” called Dion. His voice bounced off the stone walls. “Headmaster Arca—” The sound was cut off. Eileen spun around to see Dion clutching his throat. He opened his jaws wide and let out a painful wheeze. Oh, great. Now he can’t talk, either.

His eyes bugging out, Dion pounded his chest like he was choking. Eileen awkwardly stood by him, wondering if there was anything she could do to help him. With her teammate incapacitated, Eileen felt helpless. She watched him flop to the ground, where he continued to hack and cough.

“I can’t believe I lost him. He had to pick the worst possible time to vanish,” Chef Muk grumbled to herself as she slid into the foyer from one of the halls. She stopped when she saw Dion trembling on the floor. “No, not you too… nearly everyone in the academy is infected now. I can’t keep track of all of this! I still don’t even know where the blankets are…”

It was disconcerting to see the normally calm and collected cook so overwhelmed. The weariness in her tone made her sound like she too was coming down with something. She scooted up to Eileen. “You haven’t caught it yet. You’ve got to help me out. Please, I can’t handle this on my own.”
Eileen was taken aback. What did she want her to do? What could she do? The Scyther was hopelessly confused. She stood there, awaiting the chef’s instruction.

“I sense that someone is unwell. Fear not, for I am here.”

Eileen looked around, startled. The voice didn’t appear to have a source, but it couldn’t have belonged to the invisible headmaster. It was monotone and deliberate to the point that it sounded mechanical, yet there was something about it that made it soothing to listen to.

“Arcanine, was that you?” Chef Muk asked doubtfully. She had likely come to the same conclusion as Eileen, but was unable to think of an alternate explanation.

“No.” A screen of glass panels materialized in front of them. The translucent squares came together like pieces of a puzzle and built the shape of a bipedal figure. The yellow Pokémon had a narrow face, pointy ears, and eyes that seemed to hold infinite wisdom. He was draped in a brown hooded robe and he clutched a silver spoon in each of his hands. “I am Alakazam, traveler and pursuer of plague. It is my mission to purge sickness from this planet. You are in my care now, so be at ease.”

“You’re the medicine Pokémon Aromatisse was talking about,” realized Chef Muk. She took a deep breath, beginning to relax. “I can’t even tell you how grateful I am that you decided to show up. Things were starting to get out of hand.”

“Arriving here was not a decision of my own. It was the plague that willed me to come.” Alakazam crouched and pressed one of the spoons against Dion’s forehead. “This outbreak is indeed severe. It is perhaps the worst I have detected thus far.” When he stood up, Dion let out a suppressed cough.

“It does have a cure, though… right?” Chef Muk stared at the ill Carnivine in concern.

“Yes, that is correct. I learned many potent healing spells during my travels. I am capable of instantly cleansing any sickness from one’s body.”

The cook remarked, “That’s amazing—if you’re telling the truth, anyway. There’s no time to waste, sir. Origin Plaza needs your aid.”

“It shall be done.” Alakazam raised his spoons and painted an imaginary circle over his head. When he closed the shape, a reflective pillar shot up around the Pokémon and dissolved them into fragments. In the blink of an eye, they reformed in the center of Origin Plaza. Eileen had grown so used to the feeling of teleportation that it hardly fazed her. Dozens of Pokémon, both those who had caught the disease and those clinging to their good health, had already been brought to the town square. Eileen saw that Team Masquerade was among them, and noticed that Cleo and Sheldon were now suffering alongside Stella.

Heads turned and voices murmured when Alakazam sauntered to the front of the crowd. He spoke over sneezes and muffled coughs. “Thank you for your patience. Conducting my analysis is time-consuming, but it is necessary. I must ensure that all afflicted individuals are present for the cleansing ritual. Now, you shall be rewarded. Let us begin.”

Alakazam held the spoons over his head again. He tilted his head back and slowly raised his arms until they were fully extended. He brought one foot off the ground, and then the other. He was hovering a few feet off the ground, holding the soles of his feet together in a meditative pose. The medicine Pokémon quietly chanted in a strange language as he moved his arms toward each other and formed a cross with the spoons. A brilliant green light enveloped Alakazam and radiated into the crowd. As the energy swept over the Pokémon, the fatigue was wiped from their eyes and the sound of coughing died away.

“I’ve been healed!” a villager exclaimed in glee.

Another Pokémon squealed, “Haha, it’s a miracle!”

Eileen looked at Dion, dumbfounded. He had picked himself up and was back to his usual plucky self. “Eileen! Did you see that? That was awesome!”
It went away abruptly as it appeared, the Scyther thought, watching the last glimmer of green light fade from the crowd.

Chef Muk hurriedly made her way up to Alakazam as the gathered Pokémon erupted into excited chatter. “I don’t believe it!” she shouted once she was within earshot of him. Alakazam opened one eye and set both of his feet on the ground. The cook continued, “I owe you all of my thanks, truly! You are a real hero. If there’s anything I can do to repay you—”

“Stop.” Alakazam gave her a stern look. “I do not accept payment for my work. I only wish for you to spread word of my service, so that Pokémon will no longer fear the grip of disease.”

Chef Muk knit her brows stubbornly. “Allow me to cook for you, sir. Don’t think of it as payment. Think of it as a celebration of Origin Plaza overcoming the plague. Yes, a celebration… and everyone is invited!” She delivered her declaration with a burst of enthusiasm—enthusiasm that was not shared by the crowd. Perhaps they hadn’t heard her?

Alakazam sighed. “If it so pleases you.”

Chef Muk gave a cheeky smile. “You ain’t never tasted anything like my cooking.”

“I see,” said Alakazam. “If you wish, I could Teleport all of you back to the fortress.”

“Arcanine’s Academy,” the Sludge Pokémon corrected, “and yes, that would be appreciated. It was you who brought us here, after all.”

He dipped his head. “Very well.” He cleared his throat and spoke up, instantly drawing the attention of the crowd. “My friends, I will now take you to Arcanine’s Academy. This Muk has declared that there will be a banquet.” As he talked, he traced another circle in the sky. The crowd was whisked away as soon as he finished his announcement.

“I’ve never seen Teleport in action before,” Dion said after they appeared in the foyer. “It’s real different from using an Escape Orb. I wouldn’t have guessed it could transport so many Pokémon at once.”

Alakazam strode past Dion and his teammate, but then spun on his heel and faced them. “It is not just Teleport that I use,” he explained. “Linking Teleport with Light Screen amplifies the power of Teleport. Light Screen also allows for the creation of temporary Teleportals.”

The Carnivine gasped. “Wow, Mr. Alakazam, that’s really cool. I wonder if I could combine any of my moves like that.”

Alakazam walked away without saying anything else.

“I’ve never had to cook for so many Pokémon before. Half of Origin Plaza’s here, for crying out loud,” Chef Muk muttered to herself, standing at the dining hall’s entry. She called, “Please seat yourselves, everyone. There should be enough room for everyone. Should. The celebratory banquet shall commence shortly.”
“I wonder what she’s going to cook. Must be something extra special.” Dion smacked his lips.

As the Pokémon piled into the dining hall, Alakazam fell to the back of the group. He froze in place and pulled the hood off of his head. He surveyed the foyer, his pointy ears twitching. “What is this I sense?” he whispered. He held the pair of spoons out in front of him as if they were weapons.
Dion stopped as he was about to enter the room. “Is something wrong, Mr. Alakazam?”

He didn’t respond. The medicine Pokémon gazed off into the distance vacantly, his body tense.

A raspy voice boomed, “You’re a quack, Alakazam. Stop this vile trickery at once.”

“Oh, it’s him.” Chef Muk instinctively moved in front of the entryway, as if to protect the Pokémon gathered inside. “Everyone, remain seated. The meal will be prepared momentarily.” She shut the door behind her.

“What about us?” Dion squeaked, still standing in the foyer. He paused. “Wait, that voice…!”

“Headmaster Arcanine,” Chef Muk confirmed. “If he’s having one of his moments, there’s not a lot we can do. I can’t let the guests see him in this state. Alakazam, sir, I apologize—”

Alakazam tightened his grip on the spoons. “Show yourself.”

“Can’t do that, lad,” replied Arcanine, “but I can do this!” The medicine Pokémon’s robe was suddenly ripped off. The garment landed at his feet in one tattered piece. Alakazam stared at his waist, speechless. A segment of rope was tied around his midsection, binding a pair of tablets to his hips. One of the objects was a sickly shade of purple. The other was green—the color of the light that had spread across the Pokémon as they were healed.

Dion’s eyes widened. “Are those…?”

Alakazam attempted to cover the colorful objects with his hands. He questioned his unseen enemy, “How did you know?” He swirled one of his spoons, swinging a big green beam across the area in front of him. The headmaster appeared before him, cured of his invisibility.

“I had a vision,” Arcanine stated matter-of-factly. It was an odd thing to hear from a Pokémon that was not Psychic-type, which made Eileen certain that he was having another episode. She was a bit lost as to what was unfolding around her, however. What were those tablets, and why had Arcanine accused Alakazam of being a fake?

“A vision,” Alakazam breathed, showing a rare hint of emotion. “That means…” He slid the plates out from under his belt, bent over, and gently set them on the floor. “I do not wish to meddle with fate. Please accept these, Heir. Now, I will take my leave.” He cast Teleport on himself, but nothing happened.

Headmaster Arcanine chuckled. “Ah, students! Consider this a continuation of your lesson. You know what I was saying about moves having limited uses? This fellow has run out of Power Points. How unfortunate.”

“Impossible.” Alakazam’s voice was blank again. “I beg of your forgiveness, mighty Heir.”

Heir. He keeps using that word, Eileen observed, frustrated with her lack of information. What could it mean?

The old Arcanine flicked his tail and studied his opponent. “You cannot escape. You will be punished, but if you surrender the Plates again, there will be no need for a fight.”

“Bless you, Heir.” Alakazam kneeled in front of him.

“Arcanine…? What is this…?” Chef Muk stammered. Much to her puzzlement, the headmaster’s speech was abnormally clear. Was it possible that he was still in his lucid state of mind?

Headmaster Arcanine turned his head toward her, as if he hadn’t known she was there. “A matter that doesn’t concern you,” he told her, his tone uncharacteristically hostile. “Attend to the guests. They’ll begin to suspect that something’s up if you don’t return soon.”

“Something is up,” Chef Muk snapped, “and I need to know what that something is. You can’t go around hiding things from me, Arcanine.”
The headmaster curled back his lip. “It would require a lot of explanation—explanation that I do not have the time to provide. It would be best if you didn’t get involved. Go on now, lass. They’re waiting for you.”

“If it is not a problem, I will do my best to put it into words,” Alakazam offered. Before Arcanine could protest, he continued, “This Pokémon is the Heir of Arceus. A fragment of Arceus’s soul dwells within him. When the time has come, he will ascend to Arceus’s heavenly throne and succeed it. It was determined from birth, but the emergence of the Plates and his ability to sense their locations signifies that his destiny will soon be fulfilled. The world is about to enter a new era—but during the shift, the balance of the world will become vulnerable. An age of disarray is upon us. This is merely the calm before the storm.”

“What?” shrieked an incredulous Chef Muk. “I’m gonna need a heck of a lot more explanation than that.”

“You can say that again!” whimpered Dion.

 

[Ahnyo]

Chapter Eight - Heir Conditioning

​

“I am terribly sorry to announce that the celebratory banquet has been canceled. I do not have enough ingredients to prepare a meal for a group of this size and I cannot replenish my stocks due to the food shop being temporarily out of business. Again, I apologize.”

The Pokémon from Origin Plaza trudged out of the dining hall and to the drawbridge, more confused than disappointed. The students flocked to Headmaster Arcanine for instruction.

“See if there’s anything you can do to help out around town. The plague has probably kept a lot of the merchants from setting up shop,” he told them, stress straining his voice. “Dion, Eileen. You two stay here.”

“Didn’t we do this earlier?” complained a senior student. “I was hungry, too.” Not wanting to upset the headmaster, the young hunters left the foyer, albeit dragging their feet.

Alakazam waited for the last Pokémon to disappear from sight. “I understand that this is a lot to take in. That is because it is something most Pokémon are not meant to know. However, I feel as if an exception must be made for this Heir. His body has aged too much for him to bear the weight of the trials. He will require assistance.”

Arcanine bared his teeth. “Are you calling me weak? I tell ya, I’m just as capable as I was years ago.”

“Swallow your pride, Arcanine. You know you’d be hopeless if I weren’t there for you,” Chef Muk scolded. “That’s why I find this all so hard to believe.”

“His body may have been worn by the test of time, but his soul is ageless. When he ascends, he will be freed from his weakened body and mind and achieve his ultimate potential. The body that you see and the Pokémon you have come to know are merely vessels,” Alakazam explained.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Arceus the Pokémon who created the universe? How can it be replaced by a successor?” Chef Muk inquired.

The Psi Pokémon replied, “Yes, that is true. It is not as simple as that, however. There has, and always will be, one Arceus. In the beginning, Arceus was all-powerful. Then it spent all its energy to give rise to the universe. While it was on the verge of death, it transferred its soul into the body of one of the life forms it birthed so it could live on. This has repeated for as long as there has been time, allowing Arceus to defy the laws of existence and live forever.

“To restore its godly form, Arceus draws upon the power of the Plates. There are eighteen of them—one for each of the elemental types—and they spawn from nature in response to the transfer of Arceus’s soul. They are composed of pure, concentrated energy. What you see in front of you are the Toxic Plate and the Meadow Plate, which represent the Poison and Grass-types, respectively. Any Pokémon can wield the Plates and access the abilities they provide. However, it is believed that only Arceus can harness the true power of the Plates, as it is said that the eighteenth Plate is Arceus’s soul itself. There exist Pokémon that can manipulate souls, so this is not fact. That is why the identity of the Heir is usually kept secret. When all eighteen Plates are in proximity of each other, Arceus will rise in all its glory.

“Collecting the Plates is not an easy task. Many of the Plates are guarded by Legendary Pokémon, and one must participate in grueling trials to prove his worth to them. The Plate Guardians do not discriminate. They will surrender their Plates to anyone who can find them and complete their tasks. It is the Heir’s responsibility to gather them all. This is possible due to his ability to sense their locations.”

Chef Muk said, “You had two of the Plates. How did you find them before Arcanine? And how do you know all this stuff? All of this sounds foreign to me.”

“I am a traveler,” Alakazam stated simply. “I come from a society that seeks to preserve knowledge of the past. Elsewhere, the story of the Plates has faded into obscurity. How I obtained the Plates is irrelevant. I sought the Plates for a purpose, and that purpose was to find the Heir.”

“You said you didn’t want to mess with fate, but isn’t that what you’re doing right now?” asked Dion, who, up until then, had been abnormally quiet. It seemed like he hadn’t wanted to disrupt the flow of Alakazam’s speech. As mysterious as he was, there was something trustworthy about the way he relayed his words. His confident, collected nature gave Eileen the impression that he knew everything.

Alakazam grunted. “I am not interfering with fate. In truth, it is impossible for one to change the future, even if he feels he has done so. When something occurs, that is fate. If something is meant to happen, it will. We make no mistakes. Each individual action we perform is meant to occur. That is the nature of our existence.”

Dion didn’t look satisfied with his answer. Why had Alakazam brought up changing fate if he didn’t believe in it?

“The sickness that struck the town, as you may have guessed, was the result of my doing. Or, not my doing, but the doing of the Toxic Plate in my possession. Likewise, it was the Meadow Plate that reversed its effects. I deceived all of you—all of you except for the Heir, that is. I was not discreet with the use of the Plates. I knew that if the Heir was present, he would be able to see through my façade. I have traveled through many towns throughout the land, performing the same act. None of the Pokémon suspected a thing. They thought of me as a selfless hero.”

It had been an effective scheme, but having fallen for it made Eileen feel stupid. I knew the idea of a Pokémon detecting disease with psychic powers was too ridiculous to be true.

“What you did seems pretty immoral. You had all of Origin Plaza in a panic.” Chef Muk shook her head.

“I have found the Heir. The end justifies the means,” Alakazam murmured.

“So, what happens now?” demanded the Sludge Pokémon.

Alakazam looked at Headmaster Arcanine out of the corner of his eye. “I am not the Heir. There is only so much I know, and so much I can do. Only the Heir holds the answers.”

Chef Muk directed her gave at the headmaster. “Well?”

The old Arcanine faked a cough and shook his shoulders. He remained silent.

“Do not fear, blessed Heir. You are among friends.” Alakazam’s tone was almost hypnotic.

He resisted it. “You’re awfully sure of yourself. What makes you think I should trust you?” Headmaster Arcanine spoke out of the side of his mouth.

“It would be foolish for me to expect you to trust me so soon after we met. That is why I wish to gain your trust. I may not be a medicine Pokémon, but there are a number of ways I could aid you on your path to the throne. I would even be willing to subject myself to menial chores. If you do not yet trust me, it would be wisest to keep me under supervision. One should keep his friends close, but his enemies closer. I do not hope to remain your enemy for long, however.”

“So what you’re saying is that you want to stay at the academy,” Chef Muk concluded, her brow furrowed. “Why’s that?”

The Psi Pokémon showed a weak smile. “I wish to observe, and to learn. This is an event that only occurs once every few centuries. It is truly something to behold.” He angled one of the spoons so that Arcanine’s reflection was caught in it. “Heir, I will do my best to guide you. My knowledge is finite, but it may be of use to you.”

The old headmaster stared at him for a long moment. “I would feel most comfortable if your Teleport were sealed.”

There was a sparkle in Alakazam’s eye. “I will do anything that you ask of me, Heir.”

“Wait a minute,” said Dion. “Couldn’t Alakazam lend his Teleport to the academy? That way, we’d be able to travel to faraway dungeons!”

Alakazam dipped his head. “Yes, good thinking. One must also keep in mind that the Plates are scattered throughout the land. My mind is like an atlas. If you were to employ my Teleportation services, there would be no limit to the places you could travel.”

Arcanine took another moment to think. “I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you dare betray me, I will show no mercy.”

“Duly noted. I can assure you that will not happen.”

Eileen wasn’t sure she would trust him if she were Arcanine. The disconnect between his words and any degree of sentiment was troubling. He never hesitated, or stumbled over his words, or showed any hint of conflicting emotion. It made him appear inhuman, or at least the Pokémon version of that.

“I still find all of this unbelievable,” Chef Muk remarked. “This old man I’ve been looking after, Arceus? Never in a million years would I have expected to hear something like that. Surely this is all an elaborate prank! Dion, Eileen, you’ve gotta be in on it.”

“Hey, I’m just as surprised as you are!” Dion cried, startled by her accusation. “To think that my own headmaster is Arceus, the creator… I don’t even know what to say!”

“Now, I’ve got a question. Arcanine’s pretty old. What would happen if he kicked the bucket before he collected all the Plates?” Chef Muk stifled a chortle.

The headmaster glowered at her.

Alakazam did not have the answer. “I do not know. Perhaps another Heir would be selected… but I am not certain that Arceus would be able to transfer its soul without its full power. If the Heir were to pass, perhaps Arceus will finally die… and the world will be swallowed by chaos.”

“Yikes, I don’t like the sound of that.” Chef Muk tried to laugh it off again. “You’ll pull through, you old fart. Clearly you’ve lived this long for a reason—or perhaps it was my cooking that toughened you up. You’d think Arceus could’ve waited a few years to choose its Heir.”

“Like us, Arceus has no way of knowing when its vital energy will run out. It was exercising caution—but sometimes, being overly cautious can lead to one’s demise. No matter, if fate foretells that Arceus will live on, then it will. If it does not, then that is our destiny. We are all just pawns in a greater plan.”

“It intrigues me that Arceus has so little control over its own universe,” murmured Chef Muk.

“That is hardly the case,” Alakazam said. “It is Arceus that keeps the threads of the universe together. Arceus puts laws in place, and it too must obey them. When Arceus is not there to enforce its laws, the universe becomes unstable. Gaps form in the fabric of reality, resulting in unexplained phenomena and other anomalies. One such occurrence is the formation of Mystery Dungeons: strange, constantly-shifting planes that are impossible to chart because their layouts change every time they are entered. They pop up in existing locations overnight, along with Pokémon created from chaos itself. The influence of Arceus’s laws varies between Mystery Dungeons. Some are very stable, but others make no logical sense. Navigating these dungeons could be almost as challenging as the trials bestowed by the Plate Guardians.”

Unexplained phenomena? Eileen mulled over what Alakazam had said. Could… could that be why I turned into a Scyther? She felt as if she had been enlightened. Eileen knew she was not from this world, but apparently Arceus governed the entire universe. Somewhere, somehow, she must have fallen victim to the increasing instability. The explanation of her fate—that there was no logical explanation—struck her as anticlimactic, but if that was all she was going to get, she would take it. The Pokémon that spawn in Mystery Dungeons… could they be like me? She wondered if the others would be any more inclined to believe her story.

“We’re hunters.” Dion clenched his fist, though he was clearly trembling. “Nothing can stop us. It’s our duty to serve the Pokémon of Origin Plaza, and the world! No matter what we have to go through… no matter what stands in our way… we can never back down until justice is served and the world becomes a better place. That’s what Headmaster Arcanine taught me!”

“The soul of Arceus shines true.” Alakazam nodded approvingly. “If that is indeed what this institution stands for, you are well equipped for completing the tasks that lie ahead. I would advise informing all attendees of your destiny. However, this information must never leave the academy walls, or else you risk facing grave danger. Heir, you must understand that I am but your disciple. I wish for you to consider my advice, but the final decision is yours to make.”

Arcanine made a grumbling noise. “I will make the announcement over supper tonight.”

“As far as I’m concerned, that special banquet’s still on tonight, but for a different reason. In truth, I have more than enough ingredients to cook up something befitting of the occasion.” Chef Muk patted her grimy hands together.

“I anticipate it,” said Alakazam.

-

Infiltrating Arcanine’s Academy couldn’t have been easier. Getting out without being caught would be another matter entirely.

Sprawled out on his belly, Jet observed the discussion from the balcony above. As the conversation went on, the Gabite felt more and more like he wasn’t supposed to be there. Of course he wasn’t supposed to be there: he was a student loyal to the rival academy. It was more than that. He was explicitly intruding upon their privacy, hearing things he was not meant to hear: the delicious kind of information his gossip queen headmistress craved. This was possibly the juiciest secret she could ever dream of learning. Jet wasn’t there to gather information for Headmistress Manectric, though.

When the members of Manectric’s Academy woke to find they had come down with a terrible disease, Jet volunteered to take a trip to Origin Plaza to find some medicine. The reclusive Manectric approved without question. Zip declared that he would be accompanying him, though Jet asserted that he was too weak and he should stay in bed even though the Gabite was afflicted with the same symptoms. Zip didn’t bother to argue with him. Jet climbed the ladder, exited the shack, and forced a breath of fresh air down his aching throat. He had left the academy by himself without having to sneak out in the middle of the night or developing an intricate escape route. It had been that simple.

After nearly blacking out from his fever, he staggered into Origin Plaza just in time to witness the end of some kind of demonstration. He then discovered that his symptoms had been alleviated. Before Jet could make sense of what was going on, someone at the front of the crowd announced that they were being brought to Arcanine’s Academy. Jet and the Pokémon around him were transported there in a matter of seconds. Taking advantage of the volume of the crowd, the Gabite raced to the top of the stairs in hopes of scoping out the Scyther rumored to be Thorn. Jet remained there even after the other Pokémon were told to leave, and it didn’t take him long to realize he had probably made a bad decision.

He had no trouble locating the Scyther, who was one of the few Pokémon to remain in the building. Jet found it suspicious; could she possibly be involved in some kind of covert affair? Other than that, Jet learned nothing about the Scyther, who appeared to have taken a vow of silence. That was very unlike Thorn. She, being the brains of Team Missile, was always forthright about speaking her mind. If she were Thorn, Jet reasoned, she would have a lot to contribute to the discussion. Even though he saw that the Scyther lacked one of Thorn’s defining characteristics, he wasn’t ready to throw his hope away. His desperation to see his dear teammate again put him in a state of blind denial.

As Jet listened for Thorn’s cunning voice, he was exposed to bizarre information he wasn’t sure he completely understood. One of the figures, an Alakazam, spoke a lot about Arceus—and most shockingly, declared that Headmaster Arcanine was destined to succeed it. Aside from Arcanine and the Scyther, the other Pokémon were just as confused as he was and asked the same questions that were on his mind.

By the end of their talk, the Gabite didn’t know what to make of what he had learned. He was more concerned about the fact that he actually knew the information, especially after Alakazam issued his warning about never spreading it outside Arcanine’s Academy. Jet felt guilty, but he was also aware that his knowledge could be used as a weapon. If he were to share it with his headmistress, Manectric’s Academy would probably be able to get anything it wanted out of Arcanine and his companions. Knowing Headmistress Manectric, that meant treasure—or maybe, if Jet pleaded with her, information about the mysterious Scyther student. Of course, Jet’s knowledge would mean nothing if he wasn’t able to return to Manectric’s Academy.

Having become lost in their words, Jet nearly forgot he wasn’t welcome in Arcanine’s Academy. When the Pokémon wrapped up their conversation and began to part, he snapped back to reality. He watched, eyes wide with horror, as a particularly grouchy Arcanine lumbered up the stairs with the green and purple Plates sandwiched between his jaws. What would Thorn do in this situation? Jet asked himself. He wracked his brain, but ultimately drew a blank. Quick thinking was Thorn’s forte, not his. He was reminded once again of how important it was for Team Missile to be together.

Arcanine drew nearer until his overwhelming odor filled the air, almost causing Jet to gag. The elderly Pokémon was every bit as hideous as Headmistress Manectric had described him, but that only made him more intimidating. Between his shredded ears, missing left eyes, scarred nose, twisted jaw, and balding muzzle, Arcanine was nothing short of monstrous. Saliva trickled from his mostly toothless maw, no doubt contributing to the awful smell that wrapped around him. He reminded Jet of a hungry beast slowly stalking its prey. Jet wasn’t one to give up, but he felt helpless without Thorn by his side. He was no match for the seasoned headmaster, old as he might have been. His only option was to cower and remain lifelessly still.

Headmaster Arcanine reached the top of the stairs and kept walking, his gaze not once falling upon Jet’s huddled form. He, Jet realized, was in the headmaster’s blind spot. As long as he didn’t do anything to draw his attention, he was practically invisible to the one-eyed Pokémon. Too scared to even move his head, Jet felt soothing relief flow through his chest as the sound of Arcanine’s dragging footsteps died away behind him. I can literally thank Arceus for sparing me, thought Jet.

“Don’t know what’s gotten into him,” muttered a Muk wearing a chef’s hat. “He’s normally a very outgoing Pokémon. Guess he’s having another one of his mood swings. I’ve never seen him act all mopey like this, though. The Arcanine I know is like a burning flame. He always has this energy about him.”

“I can understand why he would act this way,” Alakazam said. “Would you not feel the same if your deepest secret was discovered? He may have disclosed the information himself, but it was in the heat of passion. Now that the dust has settled, he regrets being forward with his identity. He must understand that in his case, letting others know he is the Heir is essential. Perhaps he will come to his senses when he makes his announcement tonight.”

“I’m just worried the geezer won’t show up for the banquet. Hopefully the promise of food will be enough to coax him out of his shell. I swear he has a bottomless pit for a stomach. Old Arcanine still surprises me on a daily basis, though. With him, I never know what to expect.”

“I am certain he will show,” Alakazam assured her, “as long as he does not turn invisible again, that is. Tell me, why was I unable to see him upon our first encounter?”

Muk answered, “He had an accident involving an Invisify Orb. Don’t go thinking that’s a special Heir power or something; it’s just the result of Arcanine being Arcanine. For a deity in the making, he’s a real oaf!”

“Understood.”

Headmistress Manectric was right: Headmaster Arcanine was incompetent. Even his colleagues admitted that. Though he had listened to Alakazam’s explanation, Jet was having a hard time believing that the smelly old Pokémon would replace Arceus. He knew Manectric would find it even more ludicrous. In fact, he started to worry that the headmistress would take his news for nonsense. Either that, or, knowing the nature of his present form, she’d deliberately try to prevent Arcanine from fulfilling his destiny. Jet didn’t like the idea of either of those outcomes, and for a moment he considered keeping the information to himself. That would be the honest thing to do. Manectric’s Academy had never been associated with honesty, but maybe he could change that. Though, if he never shared what he had learned, how would anyone know that he had done the right thing?

Jet continued to gaze into the foyer. He was safe for now, as long as he kept still. He would have to wait for the four Pokémon to leave before he attempted to escape. They lingered in the area, speaking in hushed voices and acting lost without the guidance of Headmaster Arcanine. The Scyther, however, was stern and held herself in a way that gave off an air of independence. She was different from the others. It reminded Jet of the calculating Thorn, who always seemed like she was above her teammates in a way. Jet had always found that aspect of Thorn elegant: it was one of the things that drew him to her. The Gabite wanted her more than ever, and in that moment he put aside all of his doubts. She had to be Thorn.

Maybe Thorn had come to Arcanine’s Academy to exact the same knowledge he had inadvertently gained. How she would’ve known something so shocking was going to be revealed was anyone’s guess, but Thorn was always ahead of her teammates. Perhaps that was why the Scyther was so calm and collected. How wonderful it would be if, now that she knew Arcanine’s secret, Thorn came home to Manectric’s Academy! He pictured her smirking and sneaking off into the dark, just as she had done when she left her teammates. Like Headmistress Manectric had said, Thorn was a tricky Pokémon.

Muk spoke to the Carnivine and the Scyther. “Arcanine didn’t leave you two with anything to do, did he?”

“Wah, I almost forgot! He never finished our training session! Should we go find him?” The Carnivine had a skittish disposition and a tendency to sound unnecessarily startled. Was he the Scyther’s teammate? The thought of Thorn working with such a cowardly Pokémon amused Jet.

“We’d best leave him be,” Muk directed. “Why don’t you give our new friend Alakazam a tour of the building? I take it you’ll be boarding here, sir? We don’t have as many recruits as usual, so there’s bound to be some place for you to stay.”

“I can find my way,” snapped Alakazam.

“All righty, then,” Muk mumbled uncertainly. “Hmm… ah, I know! You can help me prepare dinner.”

The Carnivine cheered. “That sounds fun! Ooh, can I lick the spoons when we’re all finished?”

“What? No! That would be unsanitary,” hissed the mound of pollution. “Come, let’s get started. There will be no taste-testing unless I say it’s okay.” The Muk cook hauled herself into what Jet assumed was the kitchen with the Carnivine eagerly floating behind her. The Scyther trudged after them and was gone. Jet sighed inaudibly.

Alakazam was the only Pokémon left in the foyer. Now that he was alone, he folded his legs and hovered above the ground with his eyes closed. He’s meditating, Jet observed. I could probably sneak by without him noticing. Now’s my chance! He rose to his feet and took a quick look behind him before heading down the stairs. He walked on his heels, scared that his sharp toenails would scrape against the stone steps. Once he had made it down, he crept over to the wall farthest from Alakazam and began his careful trek toward the open drawbridge.

Jet worried that Alakazam would be more likely to catch him if he took his time, but an alarm went off in his head, warning him that making a run for it would be even more dangerous. If only he could glide noiselessly through the air like Zip! He stuck to his gut and proceeded gradually. It seemed like the drawbridge was miles away, and as Jet approached it, he felt he was getting no closer to his destination. He came to a halt when he was halfway there. He was straight across from Alakazam, who was still pouring all of his concentration into meditating. The Gabite studied him for a second, and then carried on.

“I sense something.” Jet nearly yelped at the sound of the Psi Pokémon’s voice. He flattened himself against the wall, his heart pounding so hard he thought it would burst out of his chest. With his eyelids still sealed, Alakazam fired a multicolored beam directly at Jet. The Gabite’s reflexes kicked in and he ducked just in time to avoid the blast. He took that as a cue to flee. Propelled by his adrenaline, Jet dashed across the drawbridge, down the road, and into the outskirts of Origin Plaza, never looking back.

Alakazam opened his eyes and surveyed the foyer, finding that his Psybeam had charred a small section of the wall. He frowned. “Impossible. It could not have been my imagination.”

Jet nearly tumbled down the ladder to Manectric’s Academy. He relaxed a little knowing he had made it back, and he took a minute to catch his breath. Headmistress Manectric prowled up to him, flanked by Professor Pyroar. The headmistress had a bemused look on her face. “I sent you to Origin Plaza to pick up some medicine. Did you decide to go window shopping while you were at it? There’s no reason you should’ve taken so long. I see you’ve returned empty-handed, too. Well, the good news is that everyone in the academy’s inexplicably gotten better. How convenient.”

“Jet doesn’t look so good,” Pyroar pointed out.

“Why, yes. You look like you’ve seen a ghost! And why, may I ask, are you panting? Are you still sick, or is there something I should know about?”

This was it. If he didn’t speak now, he probably wouldn’t get another chance. Headmistress Manectric was already suspicious, and Jet didn’t know what he could tell her besides the truth. Jet took a deep breath and told his story from the beginning. He described the gathering, how he had ended up in Arcanine’s Academy, and everything Alakazam had said about the headmaster. He only left out the parts about the Scyther. Manectric was a surprisingly good listener; she didn’t interrupt to add her own commentary once, though her face showed a roller coaster of expressions. Professor Pyroar kept a straight face the whole time.

“My goodness, that’s a lot to take in,” Headmistress Manectric remarked when Jet had finished. Jet was surprised; he had been expecting her to laugh and compliment his “joke”. One detail caught her attention more than anything else: “So it was the Toxic Plate that got everyone sick, and the Meadow Plate that made them get better? That power… To think there are fifteen more Plates out there. Can you imagine the things they could do?” She added, quietly but bluntly, “I want them.”

“And how would we go about getting them?” Professor Pyroar asked scornfully. “None of us can tell where the Plates are; only Arcanine can do that. You’re not suggesting we steal them, are you? Do you want the rumors about this academy being a thieves’ guild to come true?”

Manectric licked her lips. “I never suggested anything, my love. I simply said I wanted them. We all want things we can’t have, no?” She cast her gaze on Jet, which made him feel uncomfortable. “It seems so unfair that someone can want something with all their heart but never have it in their reach, and yet that same thing might fall right into the hands of someone who doesn’t know what to do with it. Some Pokémon spend their whole lives working toward things that others are born into. We don’t get to decide if we’re born peasants or if we’re born kings. It’s tragic, isn’t it?”

Pyroar gave a simple response: “That’s just the way life is.”

“Does it have to be that way, though? Why should we be punished for something that’s out of our control? Justice does not occur naturally; someone must enforce it. We have no reason to bow down to the voice of authority when we have voices of our own. Every Pokémon has the right to be heard. If the ones in power want to plug their ears, so be it. We can just scream louder, and louder, and louder yet—so loud that we rock the earth and shake the trees. Our voices will be the thunder that rattles the world before the fiery fingers of revolution strike!”

Professor Pyroar’s eyes were narrowed. “None of what you’re saying has anything to do with this.”

“Sure it does,” insisted the headmistress.

Pyroar paused. “Nothing you say can justify the act of thievery.”

Headmistress Manectric let out a laugh. “I didn’t say a thing about stealing. Why do you keep coming to that conclusion?”

“Because I know who you are. You’re my mate. That’s why I want to make sure you make the right decisions. I don’t want you to slip back into your old habits. You’ve made so much progress. Do you really want to throw it all away?”

Again, Jet got the feeling that he wasn’t supposed to be there. Headmistress Manectric had never told him to leave—in fact, she and her mate seemed to have forgotten he was even there. The Gabite waited awkwardly, hoping one of them would notice him.

“I know a lot of things about you, too, and one of those things is that you worry far too much,” said Manectric.

“It’s because I care about you.”

“I know you do. Pyroar, my dear, you need to realize that I’m a changed Pokémon. You were the one who helped me get there, and I can’t thank you enough for that. However, I think it’s time you took a step back. I appreciate how much you care about me—I really do—but you need to have trust in me. You do trust me, don’t you? That would show me you care about me more than anything.”

After a moment of hesitation, Professor Pyroar pressed her head against Manectric’s shoulder. “Of course I trust you.”

The sight made Jet feel hollow. All this time, he had maintained his faith in Thorn. He never once doubted that Thorn was alive, and he trusted that if the Scyther at Arcanine’s Academy was her, she was there for a reason. The thought of her betraying him and Manectric’s Academy didn’t even cross his mind. He wondered if Thorn knew how strongly he believed in her. Jet wished he could’ve let her know the night she vanished.

“I see no reason for us to make changes to our schedule,” Headmistress Manectric said with a hint of longing. Finally, she turned to Jet. “Thank you for bringing all of this to my attention. Now, fetch Zip and I’ll let you know what I have planned for you boys. Zip probably doesn’t even know you’re back; he must be scared.”

Jet bowed his head and embarked down the dimly lit hall. Headmistress Manectric’s reaction to his news was relieving, but it disappointed him a little. Though he knew it would be wrong, he kind of wanted to see what Manectric could’ve done with the information. She had shown interest in the Plates at first, but that was squandered when Professor Pyroar intervened. Jet didn’t know what she had been going on about, but he almost wished she hadn’t spoken up.

Jet took his time walking to Team Missile’s quarters. Like the headmistress had said, nothing was going to change at Manectric’s Academy. Arcanine’s destiny and the Plates simply didn’t concern them. Jet and Zip would just have to return to their lessons and missions that paled in comparison to what the students at Arcanine’s Academy would soon become involved in. It wasn’t fair, but what could he do about it?

He thought back to Thorn again, and questioned why she would’ve gone to Arcanine’s Academy. Spying on the Scyther hadn’t been enough; if he wanted answers, he would have to speak with her. Something told him he wouldn’t be able to get in nearly as easily as he had before, and interacting with the Scyther would be completely different from watching her from afar—but Jet knew he had to go back to Arcanine’s Academy.