Anomalies

A warm bath. Good enough for humans and Fennekins.

Already, this feels so much better. Any dizziness or aching fades away as she lays back in the tub, a long sigh escaping her as she simply allows her limbs to go limp. She really, really must’ve overexerted herself today. It’s only her first day being in a Pokemon body, she hadn’t realized just how much she’d tired herself out. Being a Pokemon sure is hard work.

“Neesha, I’m glad yer okay n’ all,” Nuzleaf says, sitting himself down on a stool across from the tub right by the entrance to Neesha’s room, his expression hardening. “But I do right reckon I explicitly told ya not to leave the house ’till I got back.”

Neesha sighs, her big floofy ears drooping down against her head, the tips of them almost touching the water. “I know, but I didn’t really mean to at first. There was this kid I met and she kinda dragged me out to see the town, then I saw the other kids arguing and felt I had to step in, still didn’t trust anyone yet, _{and the whole village was chasing after that kid so it all seemed like they were busy anyway…}“

Nuzleaf’s eyebrow arches as her tilts his head to the side just a tad. “Well that done seem like a mighty odd string of events, uh?” He huffs, his gaze turning away as his brows furrow in though. “Mmmn… S’pose I can’t blame ya, though. Stayin’ cooped up in this ‘ere rickety shack prolly ain’t gonna do ya no favors, n’ I can understand wantin’ to see the greater world. And ya did end up helpin’ that kid out, so it ain’t like you were just wanderin’ ’round aimlessly.”

That’s… Surprising. Her ears perk back up as she glances over to Nuzleaf, the tips of her ears dripping with just the littlest bit of water from dipping into it. “Wait- You mean, you’re not mad at me?”

“I am a bit miffed, Neesha, don’t get me wrong. But as someone who was once a curious, adventurous Seedot myself, I can understand havin’ a lil’ bit of adventure in yer heart.” He chuckles softly as he crosses his arms. “‘Course my adventurin’ days are long since over, but I still do get that old itch sometimes. I wouldn’t’ve learned much as I did if I kept listenin’ to my elders all the time. Sometimes ya just gotta learn by experiencin’ things. So long as ya know how to fend fer yerself, ya can go adventurin’ ’round the village whenever ya want.”

Neesha lets out an incredibly long sigh of relief, her body sinking just a bit deeper into the tub, the tips of her ears now partially submerged in the water. “Thank you, Nuzleaf…”

“From tomorrow mornin’, though, you’ll be attendin’ at the school, so ya best tuck yerself in early once yer all done. Reckon ya must be exhausted after all ya went through today, mnn?”

Neesha muffles a laugh to herself. “I’m about ready to collapse as soon as I get out of the tub. It’ll be a miracle if I can still walk in the morning.” All things considered, being a Pokemon isn’t so bad. Aside from the whole, you know, being hunted and having her whole life endangered part. She could probably get used to this if worst comes to worst.

Being a kid again, though…

“Can always carry ya if need be.” Nuzleaf replies with a smirk, standing back up as he glances back at Neesha’s room. “I’ll get yer accomodations ready. Reckon ya don’t exactly wanna sleep on the floor.”

Still, there’s something she should bring up. Something she admittedly feels a little guilty for not mentioning to Nuzleaf sooner. Her ears droop again, expression falling a little bit as she glances away for just a few moments. Should she tell him? Would it make him change his mind? “Nuzleaf?”

“Oh?” Nuzleaf stops himself, head snapping back in Neesha’s direction. “Yes, Neesha?”

She hesitates for a few moments, taking a bit to readjust herself in the tub so that she’s sitting up just a touch more. At any moment she’s considering dropping the subject and just moving on, but she already spoke up, no point in stopping. “W-Well, when I was looking for Goomy in the Foreboding Forest, the forest seemed to… I don’t know, it changed. It became an entirely different place. Some kind of pool maze, one that led to a house, then back out into the forest again.That’s not normal, is it?”

Nuzleaf’s expression immediately falls into that of concern and worry, just as Neesha had feared. _{“Oooohhhhh dear.”} He scratches at his head as he makes his way back over to Neesha, kneeling down next to the tub so he can be at eye level with her. Yeeeaahhh, this isn’t exactly a good sign. “Were there Pokemon without faces wanderin’ around?”

Reeeeeeeaaaally not good. Neesha gives a stiff nod of her head.

“Those’re, well… We still ain’t know exactly what they are, but we’ve taken to callin’ ’em anomalies.”

Neesha’s ears flick forward, listening intently. “Anomalies?”

“Mmh. Been croppin’ up all over mystery dungeons these past few months, and they’ve only been gettin’ worse. I’m relieved ya got outta one, but I need ya to promise that, if ya can ever help it, never go into an anomaly. If ya faint, a mystery dungeon will force ya outta itself. Anomalies, they don’t grant ya that same grace. I’d tell ya more, but I don’t wanna go and give ya any nightmares.” Nuzleaf chuckles nervously. “Avoid ’em at all costs, fer yer own safety, ‘kay?”

That explanation alone is enough to send shivers down Neesha’s spine. Although Nuzleaf may not have explicitly said it, her mind can still put the pieces together, and boy she does not like the whole picture. She nods her head again, though a bit shakily this time. “Y-Yeah, I will. Promise. Oh, and-“

She’s about to tell him about the vision she had when she got out of the anomaly.

But something stops her.

She shouldn’t, should she?

It’d only cause even more problems.

She already has him worried enough, so, mentioning it might not be a good idea.

For all she knows, it was just a one time thing. If it happens again, then she’ll bring it up to him.

“…Nevermind, I forgot what I was gonna say.” She slumps back down further into the tub again. “Maybe it’s the fire typing frying up my brain with everything else that’s happened today.”

“Ya went through an awful lot today, any child would have trouble processin’ it. Don’t overexert yerself, okay, Neesha?” He gives one last reassuring smile to her before standing back up, off to get her room ready.

Beheeyem, anomalies, bullies, oh my.

At least she can finally get some rest and prepare for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will surely be better.

Right?

21, 14, 2, 15