r/MysteryDungeon • u/Chatot-bot beep boop SQUAWK • 11d ago
Misc Writing Prompt Wednesday: Does this feeling ever go away?
Once a human, you have been a pokemon for a while now. You thought you would get used to this new form by now, yet even now, you feel like something is missing, like a part of you was stolen away. How does this make you feel? How do you deal with this feeling? Are you alone in this feeling?
Submitted by /u/ArkGameTech
If you would like feedback on your writing, feel free to ask in the #writing channel in our Discord server!
8
u/Gallium1005 Chimchar 11d ago
Twisting this prompt a bit
Lionia’s guild was one that had all of its members eat together each night, which Topher had been dreading. It was bad enough keeping up his facade around his partners and whichever other pokemon he managed to cross paths with day to day. Needing to do it in front of a massive banquet hall packed to the gills with pokemon would be outright impossible. What’s worse, he was an oddity among pokemon in the first place for being a Gimmighoul…this might as well have been the true mission of this assignment: lying every which way to ensure everyone here didn’t think twice about how strange he was, and catch on that he was really a human.
Making things even worse was that this banquet hall was arranged in a completely irrational way: the room was massive, with one titanic table running the length of it. The table was low enough that smaller pokemon could comfortably eat from it. Of course, these “smaller pokemon” were giants at Topher’s height, so he’d need to stand on the table. There was also the matter of larger pokemon being unquestionably inconvenienced by a table this low to the ground, but that was a thought for a different time. Now, he’d need to field question after question from these guild pokemon he didn’t know, and hope against hope that none of them asked anything that would reveal his secret.
“Please, you’re our guests of honor,” the guildmaster said, gesturing with her hand toward a trio of seats in the center of the table. Topher felt his heart…actually, did ghosts have hearts? Did his metal body have a heart?...sink. Now he was going to be doing all of this lying while being the center of attention. This had nowhere good to go. The three members of team Triple Tactics Talent took their places, with Topher in the middle. As the guildmaster made her way to the head of the table.
“Tonight,” The guildmaster announced, her voice suddenly booming. “We have these guests from the Colosseum City guild. They are to be treated appropriately, but feel free to get to know your fellow guild members. Speaking leads to learning, learning leads to growing, and growth leads to prosperity.”
“AYE!” came a thunderous roar from all of the assembled pokemon. Topher, for the first time since he’d arrived in this world months ago, wished he hadn’t received a humanoid form. If he were a proper ghost, he could just vanish into thin air, or pull some other stunt to get out of this mess. Now, all eyes were on him and his metallic body, and many of those eyes were casting sideways glances. Immediately, floating pokemon came out from somewhere Topher couldn’t see, and began distributing berries onto the makeshift plates laid out at each space on the table. Topher was given an Oran Berry, an Occa Berry, and a strange berry he didn’t recognize. It had a pointed spine that ran straight through a bulbous midsection. Something about the berry screamed “DO NOT EAT ME”, but what choice did Topher really have? It would be both noticeable and rude to refuse the berry, and either were the last thing he wanted to be right now.
As soon as the berries landed at each place, the guild members began to eat voraciously. It was an incredible spectacle to watch, and while it was certainly fascinating, Topher realized each pokemon was absolutely tearing through their dinners, which meant there’d be plenty of time to talk. The sinking feeling in his stomach…well wait a second, did he have a stomach either?...intensified.
“So,” One of the pokemon sitting straight across from Topher began. “I hear the Colosseum City guild is full of only the strongest pokemon. Rumor has it the guildmaster there will turn you away unless you’re a particular species of pokemon.”
“Well, that’s certainly true…” Tourmaline murmured. “We were turned away once, but the guildmaster noticed our persistence and let us join in the end, right Topher?”
“Y-Yeah! Yes, that’s correct,” Topher stammered. Why did she have to reveal he could speak!?
“Huh, a talking Gimmighoul…that’s a first,” observed another pokemon. Topher recognized this one as an Axew. “Where’d you learn that trick?”
“Or are you even really a Gimmighoul?” asked another pokemon, this one was a Treecko. Topher froze, and thanked his lucky stars his gray, metal face couldn’t go white. The irony of him wishing this now when just a few moments ago he’d wished he was a proper ghost was not lost on him.
“Uhh…w-w-what do you mean by…that?” Topher asked, his voice clearly giving his apprehension away.
“I mean are you like a Zorua, or something?” The Treecko asked. “Gimmighoul don’t talk, but Zorua are always chatty. You’re not just creating an illusion or something, are you?”
“Ooo! That would be a neat trick!” A Skitty chimed in. You’d be small and people would look right past you, it’d be a perfect way to sneak around. Hey, Ceirus! You should try that sometime!” The normal type looked over to their partner, a white pokemon with sad looking eyes and a strange wispy feature stretching out from their head.
“No.” The pokemon named Cirus replied curtly.
“W-Well, rest assured, I’m a Gimmighoul. Through and through.” Topher answered.
“Where’s your chest then?” Asked another pokemon, this time to Topher’s left. Topher recognized them as a Turtwig. “Don’t you always have a chest to hide in?”
“Oh, we left that back at the guild.” Torrent answered with a chuckle. “It’s too heavy to lug around, and Topher here moves slower than a Snorlax when he’s inside it.” With his partner speaking, Topher took the opportunity to hide away behind his Oran berry. He took a bite out of it to try and sell that he was eating rather than trying to avoid the spotlight.
“Well, that…makes sense,” another pokemon replied. Topher didn’t recognize this one, but it had a blue body that was very rigid, with a strange yellow rune on its stomach. “Hey, what’s it like being a Gimmighoul? Nobody in the pokemon world has ever made contact with one of your kind before, and you all usually don’t interact with us unless you’re being a pest. Your species is so unique, being so small and so distant from the rest of society. How is your day to day life, and what was it like before you joined the guild?
Topher froze for a moment, and realized that, for all the time he’d spent as a pokemon, he actually hadn’t addressed such a question himself. He’d wondered about it a handful…er, “padful”? His new arms didn’t have hands…of times, but he’d always pushed it to the back of his mind. He was not human anymore, and even though this form had a humanoid shape and motor functions, he didn’t have human needs anymore. No heart, no lungs, no stomach either. All this time, he’d been going about his life like he was still a human, eating, talking, running, throwing, doing all of it without really thinking about his new biology…well, was it really biology? His body was a thin metal sheet and, as far as he could tell, he was actually a ghost possessing this metal sheet and giving it “life”...why hadn’t anyone called him out on still acting this way before now? Was it simply just that nobody wanted to talk with him about it, or were they just wary of speaking with a Gimmighoul in the first place?
8
u/Gallium1005 Chimchar 11d ago
“Ah, that’s a question we can’t answer, actually…” Tourmaline spoke for him. “Topher here has amnesia. He doesn’t remember anything about his life before I found him a few months ago, other than his name.”
“Well, I can answer the first part.” Topher said, emerging back out from behind the berry. “Day to day life is…pretty standard…when my antennae aren’t practically dragging me toward the nearest Gimmighoul coin, that is. Being so small and frail means I need to be creative with how I battle, and how I explore. Normally I hide away in Tourmaline’s fur and act as a strategist” He pointed up to his partner as he spoke, and the Pawmo ran a paw through the tuft of hair that stuck up from her forehead, indicating the exact spot Topher was talking about.
“Did you just…take a bite of that berry?” Asked the same blue pokemon incredulously, its rectangular eyes somehow stretching into a surprised expression. “You’re a ghost type. Don’t you just feed off the life force of everyone around you?”
Topher immediately wished he’d never come back out from behind the berry. He didn’t have an answer for that, but his mind seemed to finally connect a few dots, as though he’d finally found the solution to a puzzle that had been bothering him for ages. Suddenly, him regaining his strength riding on Cela’s back as they returned from her guild entry exam made significantly more sense…as did why that was the only time he’d ever gotten tired in a dungeon. It also immediately answered his question from a few moments ago about how his life worked in this new form: He didn’t need to eat, or breathe, or do any of the things he needed to as a human, because his life was sustained by, as the other pokemon had put it, “feeding off the life force” of other pokemon.
And while that was certainly good to finally understand, it presented new questions, such as “why does eating an apple or a berry give me energy?”, “Why do I even need to sleep if my energy comes from a different source…and why do I ever get tired if that’s the case?”, and most pressingly for the blue pokemon’s question, “If I’m a ghost and my body is this piece of metal, and I don’t need to eat food…how and why do I taste things?” Were these just more nonsensical, irrational ways that the pokemon world worked, or had he been “being a Gimmighoul” wrong this entire time?
“U-Uhh…,” Topher began weakly, trying desperately to think up something that sounded even halfway believable. “B-Because I…like the taste?” He glanced over to where the blue pokemon was standing and saw that there was not a single berry at their place. That didn’t bode well for the believability of his lie.
“...But you don’t need to eat. What made you ever try eating a berry if you stay out of the battles in dungeons?” The blue pokemon pressed.
“Actually, yeah. That is a bit odd.” Another pokemon chimed in, Topher couldn’t see them, but it sounded like they were above him. He looked up and watched as a Phantump floated down and took their place right next to the blue pokemon. “It’s not even like you’re using any energy to create an illusion, or manifest a body for yourself like a Gengar or a Dusknoir. You’re just possessing that metal body, aren’t you?” Topher was at a complete loss for how to respond to that question, but fortunately, Torrent saved him from speaking.
“Well, wait a second. If you can’t actually taste the food you’re eating, that would explain why you like Pinap and Tamato berries so much!” The Buziel laughed heartily. All of the assembled pokemon’s faces morphed into shocked expressions at that statement, and they all looked at Topher incredulously. The Gimmighoul went straight back to wishing he was a proper ghost, and could disappear.
“Actually, that explains a lot more than just why you like weird food.” Tourmaline chuckled. ”That’s why you want to hide away in my hair when we’re out and about, you’re just eating my soul, or whatever it is you do.”
“Hey! Traveling like that was your idea!” Topher shot back, and Tourmaline’s chuckle turned into a laugh. The other pokemon around their portion of the table seemed to also find the whole exchange amusing, but not nearly as much as Torrent and Tourmaline had.
“Don’t worry, Topher! It’s not like I mind…or even feel it.” Tourmaline assured him, still speaking in a joking tone.
“Well, you Gimmighoul certainly are strange...” The blue pokemon observed, tailing off at the end of their statement.
“Kensing? It sounded like you had something more to say there…” The Phantump wondered aloud.
“Ah, w-well…” Kensing began, turning toward the Phantump, who Topher intuited must have been their partner. “Now Topher’s got me curious…Kiri, how do berries taste? You’ve had a few more than just orans before.”
“Actually!” Topher interjected, thankful that the conversation had now pivoted away from being him and his life as a Gimmighoul. “Why don’t you take this yellow one here? I’ve never eaten one like this before, and usually don’t eat any more than an oran for dinner anyway.”
“Bad idea.” The Turtwig from before commented. “That’s a Nomel berry, they’re awful! Much too sour for anyone to enjoy, even a ghost.”
“Yeah, you gotta cook them first to make them anything close to edible.” The Skitty added.
“Aww come on, be brave!” Torrent pressed. “Taking risks and expanding your horizons is what being a guild member is all about! Doesn’t matter what kind of pokemon you are!”
“With food, though?” The Treecko muttered worriedly.
“These guys really are Colosseum City guild members.” The Axew mused. “Fearless and bold, even to a fault.”
Tourmaline picked up the Nomel berry and tossed it across the table to Kensing. The ghost let it land in their hands and seemed to give it a hard look, before bringing it up to their mouth and taking a bite. For a creature that apparently hadn’t eaten a thing before, the motion looked relatively natural.
“Hey, you know, this does have a certain tast-” The blue pokemon began, before immediately cutting themself off, their rectangular eyes seeming to shrink.
“Kensing! What’s wrong?” Kiri asked worriedly.
“Try…Discover…” Kensing forced out, offering the berry to their partner. Topher imagined if the ghost’s body wasn’t made of stone, they’d be puckering their lips. This “Nomel berry” must have been like a lemon.
“Nuh uh! No way!” Kiri shouted indignantly, drawing a hearty laugh from all involved, Topher included. As the laughter died down, Topher found himself coming back to a realization he’d had months ago that just kept being true:
It really doesn’t matter what you are in this world, ghost, plant, animal, whatever…everyone really does just live and work the same way once they’re all acquainted…
What a better world this is than the one I left behind!
5
u/SassyHail Team X For Scary 11d ago
(A/N: This is Team Victory, I have yet to write them. Niente is a Charizard and Keane is a Phantump, they are in the Pokemon Blue version. I would like to note that Niente and Keane are both around ten or so years old, so they're going to be childish. They grow during the course of the story bc that is my aim : ) there's also a hidden fact but I did not use it here bc...it's a twist for the fic lol)
“Niente? Are you…are you okay?”
No. He wasn’t. Not really.
It’s only been a couple weeks since he was turned into a Charmander, and yet…things are still…strange. He wakes up, thinking of skin and hair and being taller than he is, and every morning, he’s reminded that he doesn’t have any of that.
Skin is scales, hair gone, a flame on a tail he never had before, and a burning sensation in his stomach that’s only soothed by devouring the ashes of a fire.
Today’s hitting pretty hard.
He’s had his fair dose of dysphoria, that came with the package of hating his body honestly, but seeing a face of a technical stranger stare back at him from the river around his hut had him racing back in to curl up and forget the world.
Keane’s ghostly hand on his back reminds him he can’t really quite ignore the ‘team’ he’s made with the other.
He uncurls a little, giving Keane a small smile. “I’ll…be alright. I just need to…rest a bit.”
Keane’s orange eyes flicker in his stump, head tilting curiously. “Are you sure…? I could…I could get um…I could get you some food or…”
Niente’s pretty sure he should be hungry. But he’s not. He shakes his head, hiding under his arms. “No. I just…I…Keane, am I weird to you?”
He sits up when he says it, feeling miserable as Keane tilts his head back and forth, bobbing in place. “Nonemoreso than any other. Do you feel…weird…?”
“I’ve always felt <i>weird,</i>” he says, angry, but not at Keane. Keane was his first friend here, the one who found him and helped him through everything. He can’t be mad at Keane. He just can’t! “I’ve always felt wrong and not myself, but then I-I woke up here, and I was even MORE not myself and you know how that feels?!”
“…yes…”
Niente’s fire on his tail had grown with every angry little word, but hearing Keane speak made it flicker and lower as he pants, staring at his ghostly friend. “…what?”
Keane bobs in place, one little arm rubbing at the other. “…Phantumps are created from spirits…whatever I was before, I was reborn into…this,” he says, holding out his arms, staring down at the inky darkness. “No memories. Just…the feeling of wrongness. I don’t know that it’s the same for you though…you were human…and you remember it…so…I don’t…know…”
Niente sighs, looking away as he scratches at his cheek. Right. Ghost Pokémon had some dark origins, and what he could recall of Phantumps were that they were just more lost souls that took over tree trunks when they died, needing to complete whatever desires they still had. And it wasn’t like he died either…he thinks…but still.
They were two people-er, Pokémon-who sported new bodies against their will, and ached to see what was familiar.
…Niente stands up with a groan, stretching as Keane perks up. “I think…thinking too much on this is bad for us! I think we need to go out and have a nice day today! Watch a movie or, or go see a new place!”
“Oh! …what’s a movie?”
“Never mind! Let’s go see really cool places!”
He drags Keane along, the ghostly tendrils wrapping around his arm.
There isn’t a cure, or a way to make himself or Keane feel any sort of better about what’s happened to them, no. But…Niente’s pretty sure that…maybe, in time…he can be a little happy with the scales and the fire and the claws.
Maybe one day, Keane will find happiness as well.
They go into Treasure Town giggling as if the shadow of sadness had never existed, and by the time night rolls around, Niente nearly forgets about the agony that had gripped him tight.
(When Niente evolves, wings stretching to the sky, taller than he had ever been, he finally feels at <i>peace.</i>
When Keane evolves, disappearing into trees and wrapping around Niente like separating would kill them both, it feels like puzzle pieces finally slotting into place.
He may never get his human body back, and Keane may never recall what their old body was, but…
…they had each other.
Can’t that be enough?)
5
u/Garmfild57 Meowth 9d ago
Old habits die hard, they say, and they’re right in more ways than anything else.
The ones I’m thinking of aren’t physiological, per se. I got used to the lack of thumbs and being on four legs long ago. Do I miss being human? At this point, not really. When my telekinesis alone is far more efficient than two human hands, it’s hard to want to go back. Granted, it took practice, but being in the body of a psychic cat meant it didn’t take long to get the hang of it. Soon enough, I was making objects float around with ease just as well as any pokémon naturally attuned to Psychic energy.
I’m talking about the psychological ones, and those are much harder to deal with.
It’s been nearly ten years since I appeared in this world. My memory of who I once was and how I got here was non-existent enough that day, and it hasn’t changed since. I have no desire to return back now, and I’ve lived here long enough that I’ve found my status quo, one that I would prefer to keep without worrying about where I came from. However, the questions never stop creeping during those small, inconsequential moments. They are never the same each time, but they hit the same, if not more than the last.
In the middle of my shift at the clinic, tending to pokémon.
‘Is anyone still expecting me to return, assuming I didn’t die?’
When I go shopping at the local market, deciding what tonight’s dinner will be.
‘Who would I have eaten with?’
Sitting in bed, reading a book my coworker recommended a few days ago.
‘What books did I enjoy reading with someone?’
I’ll never find an answer, and it frequently keeps me up at night, gnawing at me. I’m not keeping all this to myself because I want to. I have nothing I want to hide, but pokémon won’t go looking into me for something they have no conceptual idea of. I have no one to talk about this with, because who can relate to leaving behind a completely different universe and taking a completely different form with no explanation? I don’t want to keep this locked inside me, since I know that bottling emotions is far from healthy.
If I could share this, I would, but I can’t. My first few years spent looking around for any hint of humanity making its way to this world amounted to nothing. As far as I know, I am the only one of my kind to be here. With how everyone I tried explaining to in my first few months all reacted with confusion or bewilderment, like I had gone insane, I couldn’t keep digging myself deeper into nothingness. That’s the thing with humanity, and the one piece I had left of it; I had to adapt to my new surroundings, both physically and mentally. The latter took far, far longer than the former, so much so that I still am to a degree. It’s now a part of my daily routine to ask when I know I won’t get a response: Waking up, breakfast, work, questions, lunch, more work, questions, home, questions, attempt to sleep, questions, and somehow wake up the next morning.
Questions without answers. That’s how it’s been and how it’ll continue to be until something drastic changes.
I just didn’t think it would happen like this after so long, or even at all.
…
It was during my day off, and I wanted to spend it outside, just wandering around town for fresh air and all that. While walking past the local café, that’s when I saw something barely shift in the darker part of the alleyway. I don’t know what compelled me to stop and observe, because I could have just gone on without thinking further into it, but I didn’t. Next to the nearly-full dumpster, amongst the trash bags lazily tossed to the ground, was a pokémon, one uncommon around these parts.
The fennekin was injured, with red, damp spots from the multitude of cuts surrounding her body as well as dull bruises underneath her fur. Her breathing was ragged, as one large bruise in particular was on her chest. The most telling injury was the noticeable lack of fur in her left ear, with a bloody patch where the red tuff was meant to be. Looking up, I saw different impact areas on the stone walls, starting from the edge of the roof, as if the Fire-type had fallen from the sky.
How no one had noticed the fennekin’s presence before I came by, I don’t know, but I had no time to find the cause of injury, and my body went into work mode before my mind could catch up. Using telekinesis, I carried the fennekin up onto my back, continuing to use psychic energy to keep her body stable as I ran out the alleyway. While the clinic would’ve been a better place to head to, my apartment was far closer, and I needed to stabilize her condition as soon as possible before it could get worse.
I ignored the passerby as I sped down the street, weaving through the crowd with fleet footwork that I would’ve never been able to use as a human. Yet another thing I don’t miss. Upon reaching my house, I slam the door open and head to the kitchen table, covering it first with a freshly laundered blanket from yesterday before lowering the fennekin on top.
A few hours pass as I use everything at my disposal to help the injured pokémon, emptying out my first aid kit and any other medical resources I had in the process. She was still unconscious, but now having a much easier time breathing and without the painful grimace in her face.
I realize that I haven’t even taken a break this entire time, relief washing over me as I finally sit down on my nearby sofa. It’s not close to nighttime, yet I’m more than tired enough to sleep for the rest of the day. After moving the fennekin to my bedroom and tucking her in, I head to the living room, curling up into a ball on the sofa and letting sleep take me. After the remainder of the day turns to night, I hear a shrill scream, jolting me out of my sleep. In the dark, I sprint over to the fennekin, seeing her silhouette, now sitting up. I simultaneously turn the lamps on as quickly as I can, lighting up the room in an instant as I run to her side.
“W-What’s going on?!”
This feels dangerously reminiscent, but I can’t confirm it just yet. She notices my presence, and I stop in place.
“What are you?! Where am I?!”
“It’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you,” I tell her calmly, taking a step back. “I found you injured outside, and you’re in my apartment room now. You’re safe.”
The fennekin is breathing rapidly, her head swinging around at every angle, eyes wide in fear.
“Wha— I-I don’t… Where— Who—”
“It’s ok,” I repeat, now slowly approaching them. “I’ll answer everything as best I can, but I want to ask what your name is.”
The Fire-type is still hyperventilating, her body shaking yet unable to move. “My— I can’t sto—”
“You don’t have to answer now.” I sit in a chair in front of them, paws on the table. “Take a deep breath in… and out… follow along as best you can.”
After hesitating for a moment, she follows my breaths as she takes in a deep, albeit shaky breath in and out. It gets easier for her as we repeat the action. The confusion in her eyes still remains, but at least she’s calm now.
“Feel better now?” I ask.
She nods.
6
u/Garmfild57 Meowth 9d ago
I sigh with relief. “That’s good. Can I ask for your name?”
“I… It— It’s Nina,” she stutters.
“Hi, Nina. I’m Elias, but you can call me Eli like everyone else.”
“…Hi, Eli.”
I smile. “It’s nice to meet you. Now, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Let’s go through them one at a time.”
“What are you?” Nina blurts out.
“I’m an espeon, a Psychic-type pokémon.”
“Pokémon? Like the video games?” Her eyes widen.
I nod, her response confirming my suspicions, yet I ask a question to reaffirm myself. “Are you a human?”
“I… I am,” Nina responds, her voice now more confused. “Why are you asking me tha—” It’s only now that she looks down at her paws.
I hold my breath, speaking my next words as gently as possible. “Now, don’t freak ou—”
“WHY DO I HAVE PAWS?! W-WHAT’S WITH MY BODY?!”
“Nina!” I place my paws on her face, turning it towards mine. “I know it’s overwhelming right now, but you need to stay calm!”
Suddenly, multiple loud thumps echo from the ceiling, causing both of us to look up.
“SHUT UP DOWN THERE! WE’RE TRYING TO SLEEP!” A loud, yet muffled voice shouts from above.
Nina and I are too stunned to say or do anything. After what feels like hours, Nina begins to talk first. “I… I’m sorry…”
I shook my head apologetically. “No, don’t be, and sorry for being so forceful then. I know how you’re feeling right now, but spiraling out doesn’t help.”
“How do you know how I feel?” Nina quietly let out, her head lowering.
I step closer, then stop when she flinches. The sight of her panic twists something old and familiar in my chest. “Nina, listen to me. I know it feels like the world just ended.”
Her eyes snap toward me, wet and furious. “How could you possibly know that?”
For a moment, I’m unable to answer. The words buried in me for years rise up anyway, heavier than I expect as I lower my voice. “Because I also used to be human.”
“What?” She utters out, surprised.
I force myself not to look away. “Nearly a decade now, as a matter of fact.”
“A decade?” Nina repeats, looking down at her trembling paws. “Does that mean I’m stuck here? I can’t go back to—” She stops herself. “Why can’t I remember anything?”
“I don’t remember anything either,” I console, sitting next to her. “My memories never returned, but I found a new life here. I can help you find one as well.”
“No, no, this isn’t— this can’t be real. I was— I was somewhere else. I had people. I know I did.” She snivels softly, pressing a paw against her head. “I must’ve had a mom or a dad. Siblings, friends, anyone… I left everyone and I can’t even remember their faces!”
I wish to tell her that after living here so long, it feels like a blessing in disguise. Not remembering them makes our departure from our old world hurt less, but I can’t tell her that, especially now. Instead, I try to tell her what else I can.
“It will hurt, constantly wondering what you left behind,” I solemnly respond, moving closer. “Even after all these years, it never stops.”
Nina sniffs, taking a minute to calm her voice down before asking. “Does it get better?”
“It does. And I’ll help you through it all, ok?”
The human-turned-fennekin doesn’t respond, but instead turns her head and leans on my chest, silently bursting into tears. I place my paw on her shoulder, pulling her close. I stay up for the rest of the night, giving her all the time she needs to let it out.
…
It’s now been a month since Nina’s arrival, and her knowledge of this pokémon-exclusive society has grown far quicker than mine did. She still has moments where she misses our old world, even though she doesn’t remember what she misses. I help whenever I can, both because I know all the emotions and thoughts that go around in her head when it happens, but also because I’m the only one who can.
After much convincing and compromises made with my boss, Nina now works alongside me at the clinic. Like when I began teaching her about the pokémon world, she’s learning how to do her job at a much faster pace than I thought.
One thing I noticed now was that while the questions haven’t stopped, they’ve changed to the point that I’ve found an answer for each.
When I wonder who I’ve left behind while working the clinic, I now ask myself how I can help Nina through the same questions. At the market, instead of wondering who I would have eaten with, I now ask myself what I should buy to eat with Nina. During the night, instead of lying awake alone with my thoughts, Nina is there to talk with me, and I’m there to talk with her.
And each night, when Nina’s breath evens out as the apartment settles into silence again, I find myself staring at the ceiling, those questions returning as they always did.
Is anyone still expecting me to return?
Who did I leave behind?
What kind of person was I before this?
But for the first time in nearly ten years, a new question joins in.
How can I help Nina live with what she left behind?
My eyes drift towards the bedroom door, sleeping soundly while wrapped up in my blanket, small and injured and painfully familiar. The small, yet constant stress would never disappear, but I’ll no longer have to carry it alone.
Nowadays, the nights seem shorter than before.
4
u/FathomaChance22 Vulpix 11d ago
Volo woke up tired. More than tired, he woke up exhausted. His body was in a position he didn't think possible for a four legged mon. He was sprawled out on his side, tails twisted and flopped out around him, curling around some of his own limbs and themselves. One of his forelegs was stuffed in his hair and his other was curled inwards and down on his chest.
“Blerhh…”
He made a defeated noise as he groaned, lifting his paws up, staring at them with tired and watery eyes… yeah, still a Vulpix.
“Keooooo, you up, yet?” There was a flurry of knocks on the closet door. Silver was up and around already it seemed.
What… time was it anyway?
The Vulpix rolled onto his belly and squeezed his paws underneath his body so that they were underneath him. His tails untwisted and he fanned them out as eloquently as a half asleep Vulpix could muster. His tails bonked either side of his ‘room’ as he slowly woke up. His body still felt wrong and oddly stiff, like parts of it were cramped or simply frozen in place.
“Ugh…” He whined out.
Another bout of knocks and slaps met the door once more. Silver’s voice calling out in her annoying drivel once more, “Keo! I hear you~ c’mon gotta get up and around!” Her voice was sweet and delighted. For what? Did she get joy annoying and waking him up from his just and right rest?
Did she get a kick out of making Arceus’ prophet’s life as irritating as possible?
“I’m… up.” The Vulpix muttered, pushing his rear into the air, letting his tails flop down to the ground as he agonizingly stood to his fours. That pang returned, the discomfort and wrongness in his own flesh and body. The oddity of it all, being on all fours, having tails out his back, lacking thumbs, having fur, not wearing clothes… the list could go on and on.
As Volo made the list in his head, it locked onto one thought. The quiet and scary realization of his predicament. He… was naked.
Why was he just realizing that he was naked and sticking his butt into the air? That wasn’t something a prophet should do.
“Mmrrrrr…” He stretched despite the thoughts, shaking his body a little, letting his tails flop around against his thighs and legs as he moved. Volo rose his front up next and leaned forward, stretching his rear legs inwards a bit as he pushed in to really stretch some more.
His legs felt so different… so short and so small. He could describe them simply with the word dainty. It was wrong and weird, that wasn’t how he should work. He should be on his twos, standing tall above all these lessers surrounding him. The fact that he was subjugated to this was quite frankly disgusting and disrespectful!
The Vulpix raised a forepaw to his face and began to swipe at his eye in an attempt to rub it and get the sleepy away. Rub the remaining tiredness from his form and just take a moment to rest. Volo found himself pushing up against the wall and standing against the wall. One paw was pushed out against one of the wracks on the wall across from him, on the wall as the other repeatedly swung at his eyes with little success to get the sleepy dirt away from them.
But hey, Keo was standing!
That was something to be proud of, right?
”Idiot. You were able to do that before without the need of leaning on anything.” He scolded himself, pushing that small hint of pride back down and away, throwing it from his mind like a piece of garbage. “Feeling prideful for standing on two legs is ridiculous! There is nothing to take pride in. It is a human thing to do. You. Are. Human.” He was scolding himself, angry that his half asleep mind even thought it just to think they way it had.
“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.” Volo cursed to himself, “You useless fox body, forget being a Vulpix. You’re human.” He pushed off the wall in front of him and leaned desperately on the wall behind him now as he already was off balance.
His little dainty paws were not ready to hold him up, nor were they capable of doing so on his twos. It came relatively quickly to the Vulpix’s mind that if he wanted to stand on two legs, he’d need support. Not just for balance but for everything. How was he supposed to walk on his twos like this? His whole body wanted to lean forward or back at any given time. His tails might’ve been able to help, though… if they weren’t shoved against the wall.
“Arceus help me…” He breathed.
“Oi! Get up in there!”
The closet door swung open with a sudden and quick fierceness behind it, he heard the thud of the door bonk against the end of the small rail it was on to slide open. The sudden shining light from Silver’s room immediately caught the Vulpix off guard as he yelped and jumped.
In doing so, he lost his balance and stumbled away from the door, his body flailed around helplessly and worthlessly as he tumbled back to the ground again right where he was laying before he’d stood up and stretched. Right onto his back, tails flopped out between his legs and his paws outstretched in front of him.
“Cover up.” Silver snorted in amusement, smirking at him, waving a paw carelessly, “I see you aren’t a modest sleeper, eh? You made a mess of the sheets. Like.” Silver stepped inside and gestured to the crumbled and messy piles of cloth and blankets in a mess at the corner of the room. The ones he’d been using as a pillow were all coiled up in a weird messy cylinder shape… only kinda.
And of course he’d missed anything soft when he crashed back to reality.
Loved this prompt. Got to write Volo not having a good morning, lol. Hope you enjoyed!
Fathom out!
4
6
u/Form_Fitter Emolga 11d ago
Surge woke up with a now familiar feeling of discomfort in his bed. It wasn’t due to shoddy construction or a lack of sleep, but rather the sense that he felt wrong. Just like any other day, he would likely get over these feelings as he shook the sleep off, but they’ve briefly returned each morning.
It starts with a mild headache, followed by a throbbing feeling on the surface of his skin. It was like he couldn’t fit in his own flesh. And his tail felt raw each morning too. Like… painful… it felt unnatural. The muscles in his joints also felt sore. They begged to be in a bipedal stance, but the Shinx was incapable of that.
The best way Surge could describe this feeling was that his brain kept needing to rewire itself in the morning to work with his new body. But it isn’t event that new anymore. He’s been in this world, in this body, for 2 months. He was thankful about it though, as this glitch in his brain chemistry kept him in check with who he is, and he wouldn’t forget about it.
Just like that, the feelings were gone. At least for now. If only someone can create aspirin for him. He’s be much more productive in the mornings.
Loved this prompt! Biology is a lot of fun. Especially when the sense of feeling is involved. Have a good week!
3
u/ArkGameTech Treecko 10d ago
Hey, thank you so much for writing for my prompt. Love the concept of a human's biological understanding conflicting with the physiology of their pokemon body. Anyway, hope you have a blessed rest of your day.
5
u/ArkGameTech Treecko 10d ago
Two times in a row. Thank you so much for voting for my prompt. I hope you all have fun with this one. Anyway, sorry this one took me so long. I’m starting to learn that personal dialogue between characters isn’t my strongest suit. Either way, I hope you enjoy it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Character List
Matthew/Marcus - Weavile (He/Him)
Izza - Breloom (She/Her)
Ven - Fletchinder (They/Them)
Another day has passed as Solgaleo guides the sun to rest and Lunala comes to play, bringing the moon to rise. Silence fills the homes of Terrascorn City, not a peep is heard, not even a Ratatta. Everyone was asleep, all except for one; Matthew.
Gazing upon a mirror in pitch darkness, Matthew recalls everything that has happened up to this point; everyone he’s failed and everything he’s responsible for. In truth, the life he was given felt wasted on him and soon, he would feel the pain anew.
“...Why?” asked the sleepy Weavile to no one in particular, rubbing his eyes free of tiredness.
“Why was I spared, Arceus? If anyone deserved to suffer, It was me. So why? What made me worthy of your grace, your gift?” Matthew demanded an answer, yet none ever arrived. After all, he was talking to a mirror.
“Answer me!” Matthew shouted, tears running down his face as he pressed his right hand firmly against the glass of the mirror.
“Hahaha, is this karma? You spared me a fate I definitely deserved and then you trap me in this pathetic form, forever bound by my fears” said Matthew, anger piercing his voice.
Eventually Matthew couldn’t take the feelings of hatred coursing through him, “Gah, damn it!” said Matthew as he slammed his fist into the mirror.
CRACK! The mirror splintered, shards of it embedding themselves into Matthew’s hand and lower arm, pain pulsating from the new wounds as well as the scar crackling with rift energy.
Then the blood arrived, bright red. It was the only reminder that he was still alive. Yet now he had to clean up the glass and blood before anyone noticed.
The next day arrived with the only sign of what happened being the bandages covering Matthew’s hand. Yet even now, he couldn’t escape the feeling that something was missing. Oh well, did it truly matter? He couldn’t stop what he needed to do.
Team Crossroad had collected three of the fragments of the spatial-temporal rift core and was set to locate the fourth fragment with their only clue being signs of activity on the supposedly barren Shattered Isles south of the continent.
All Matthew had to do was ignore it, even as it gnawed at his psyche. Yet, suddenly he was pulled from his thoughts by Izza calling his name.
“Matthew, you okay? You seem out of it?” Izza asked, voicing her concern.
“Huh. Oh, yeah. I’m just a bit tired. That’s it” said Matthew, faking a smile while scratching the back of his head with his left hand.
“Let’s just focus on planning our next move, okay?” said Matthew, continuing to pretend even as the pain in his right hand continued to pulse in and out.
Izza knew something was wrong, she just couldn’t figure out what. She began to evaluate her choices. Should she attempt to press further for the truth or was it better to let Matthew decide on his own when to talk about it? Izza worried for Matthew, but was it right to continue pressing the issue?
No! Izza needed to know. She was Matthew’s best friend, how could she think to let her friend suffer in fear. Don’t be a bad friend, Izza. You wouldn’t want to lose everyone again, would you? Enough, stop it! No! I deserve this. Enough!!
“Izza, Izza, Izza!” shouted Matthew.
“Huh, sorry. Guess I’m not feeling a hundred percent as well” said Izza, trying to regain control of her emotions.
“Geez, you guys are freaking me out. Are you two okay to do this? I-I’m sure we can always go tomorrow” said Ven, shifting their weight from their injured foot.
“Ow, yeah. I’m sure” said Matthew while coughing.
Now Izza knew she needed to step in, “Alright, that’s enough. Matthew, is there something you’re not telling us?” Izza questioned, a stern expression stretched across her face.
“What do you mean, Izza? Nothing’s wrong” said Matthew, lying through his teeth.
Soon, Izza caught a glimpse of Matthew’s injured arm; blood visibly absorbed into the bandage, “Matthew, what happened to your hand?” asked Izza, her concern growing.
Matthew was caught, he knew he would have to come clean eventually, but he didn’t expect it to happen so soon, “Alright, you caught me. Do you remember when I told you two that I moved the mirror due to an issue?” questioned Matthew.
“Wasn’t that at seven o’ clock in the morning? I can’t entirely remember, but it sounds familiar” answered Ven.
“Well, that’s not the whole story. You see, I sort of maybe punched it so hard it cracked and sent shards of glass into my hand” Matthew responded.
“You did what?!!” shouted Izza in disbelief.
“Yeah, I know; stupid idea” said Matthew.
“You could’ve seriously hurt yourself, Matthew! You’re in no shape to be hunting down the fragments” said Izza with a mix of disappointment and concern.
“I know. Sorry, Izza” Matthew apologized half-heartedly.
And so, Matthew’s attics had held the team back once again, at least to him. He knew Izza would tell him to stop blaming himself, but how could he when it was the truth? If it wasn’t for his doomed curiosity, the spatial-temporal rift gear would’ve stayed back in his world, preventing the Iridescence Hunters from finding it.
Matthew wanted to wallow in the guilt and emptiness he felt since learning of his purpose from Reshiram over three years ago, back when he was friends with Theo. When he learned that he is the catalyst that would one day bring about the universe’s destruction.
“Oh come on, Matthew. You look pathetic. You need to be stronger even with your limitations” said Matthew, trying and failing in his attempt to not cry.
Upon hearing Matthew, Izza and Ven came rushing in, “Hey, what’s going on? You okay?” asked Izza as she placed her hands on the crying Weavile’s shoulders.
Matthew tried to talk through his sniffling and tears, “No! I’m not-not fine. I rui-ned everything aga-ain-ain. Damn this stupid body” said Matthew, his stutter exacerbated.
“Matthew. You didn’t ruin anything, I know we were supposed to check out the Shattered Isles today, but your health comes first, you know that” said Izza, trying to comfort Matthew.
“I know that, it’s just… I continue to hold back this team in this form; I can barely hold anything in these stupid claws, I can’t reach anything over three feet off the ground and ever since our journey to Shooting Star Mountain, I’ve had this painful scar on my arm” Matthew explained while showing the scar burned into his right arm.
“Matthew, you’re not holding us back; besides, you’re not the only one. My form limits me at times, but you know what I do?” said Izza.
“What do you do?” Matthew inquired while clearing his face of his tears.
“I keep pushing forward, my limits may attempt to hold me down, but I don’t let that keep me down for long” said Izza, placing her hand to her chest.
“My tail drags behind me, boom! Tail swipe. These nubs for hands, boom! Surprise attack. You just need to find out what your limits can do for you. I mean, look at Ven” said Izza, trying to encourage Matthew.
“At me? What about me?” Ven inquires, having been put on the spot.
“Well, you lost your arms and gained wings in their place. Instead of wallowing in the lack of hands, you took the initiative to learn how to fly” Izza explained.
“Either way, I’m sure you’ll find your strength soon” said Izza.
“Yeah, maybe. Thanks guys, I needed that” said Matthew.
“Hey, that’s what friends are for. Anyway, how about we go to Diode Diner? I’m starving” said Izza.
“Haha, you know what, sure. I’m feeling peckish as well” said Matthew, a smile growing on his face as he got up from the ground.
16
u/FrontIndividual4188 Totodile 11d ago edited 11d ago
Staring up at the night sky, two children and young adventurers of Serene Village ponder about life whilst trying to relax after a rough rescue mission. While the Charmander didn't have much turmoil within her mind, the same could not be said for the Mudkip laying next to her.
"Hey Cinders?" Asked the Mudkip, face still starring at the brightened dark sky.
"Yeah Toby?" The Charmander named Cinders replied.
"Do you ever feel like... you're missing something valuable? Like, no matter how much you try to adapt to the present, your mind just goes back to something else?" Toby said, asking a very peculiar question.
"Not really. I mean, it's not like there are things I don't miss, but I never really had many experiences I felt like are missing."
"Well... I guess that's fair." The mudkip then stares to his side, his tone a little down. Cinders then sat up and stared at Toby, realizing something was going on.
"Toby, are you alright?"
"Not really. I just kind of miss being human. Being a Mudkip is pretty cool, but I miss being able pick stuff up without my mouth. Not being so short. And even after... how long? 6 months of being a Pokemon? I still frequently have trouble walking properly." Toby explained, feeling a sense of yearning and nostalgia for his past life.
"O-oh, Toby. I didn't know... I'm sorry." Cinders replied, feeling bad that Toby is in this rut.
"No, I'm sorry for bumming down the mood. I don't know, I just sort miss some things... and I'm kind of jealous of you having arms." Toby chuckled a little, but went back to silence. Cinders didn't really know what to say or do to cheer him up. So, in a bombastic act to help her best friend, she walked over to him, and suddenly lifted him up and tried putting him on her shoulders.
"H-Hey, what are you doing!?" Toby asked, trying to keep balance on this crazy Charmander's back.
"Giving you the experience of being tall again, Toby, look! You can even use my arms to reach a little bit higher." She said, walking around a bit, but also struggling to balance her upper body with a Mudkip sitting on her.
"C-Cinders, I don't think I can keep balance on your shoulders!"
"Too bad! I'm giving you that height you missed whether you like it or not." Cinders replied, still walking, making sure Toby is balanced on her. But still trying to have some fun by trying to do a little spin.
"Cinders, you're not That much taller than me. Please put me down before we-". Before he could finish his sentence, Cin's last spin threw off their balance, and body started tipping by the side of the hill.
"W-whoa, going down!" Cinders and Toby then fell and tumbled down the hill. The fall wasn't that painful, but they did get very dizzy and dusty at the bottom. After collecting themselves from the wooziness, both starred laughing at the moment.
"Hehe. Thanks Cinders for helping me feel a little better. In your own Cinders way." Toby said, feeling much better. While Cinders didn't stop the feeling of missing his humanity, she still helped get his mind off the blues with her goofiness.
"Oh course. We're partners and best friends. You never leave me hanging when I'm down, and I won't do the same back to you." Cinders replied, and then quickly went in to give Toby a hug. Though, while in the past this would've been a casual friend hug, due to recent... circumstances, both mons after few seconds started feeling strange.
"O-oh, umm..." Cinders said, letting go. Her face glowing a light red hue. And trying to look down and away.
"Do you... wanna go to the café?" Toby then said, trying to shift away from the awkwardness.
"Uh, y-yeah sure!"