4 – Tori

Loud thuds came from the room’s door, thundering inside the green room, filled with vines that kept Rowlet comfortable, despite all the noise. Almost got into a deeper sleep, haunted by indescribable visions and memories. Could he call these things memories?

When the abstract and relaxing slumber was about to get into his mind for a brief moment, he was woken up by these stubborn knocks.

—Tori! Come on, wake up! -said that cheerful and familiar voice.

Still tired and obviously unprepared for anything about to come, the owl opens the door and receives the Scorbunny. He didn’t hesitated in tackling Tori in a hug as a good morning message.

—Hey, Fir… -Rowlet said- What happened?

—What do you mean? I wanted to see you, Kurozu said we’d introduce you!

Tori decides not to relevate that shock, since he was sleepy and barely paying any attention to new info and announcements, since he had more important things to worry about. He sighs and reminds himself of what truly matters; he has a new name in a new world. Had to be introduced somehow, he just was unlucky by being with this annoying rabbit.

Fir offers him a blue and round berry, surprisingly pretty and with a citric scent.

—You can eat it! I brought one for our breakfast; Kai and Marceline already had theirs.

—Who?

—Our group is here! -his wide smile showed his big front teeth- We will help you with the guild! I mean, if you want to…

As Tori had his first bite(?) of the fruit, that bizarrely reminded him of an orange, he raises his face to the rabbit. A weird offer, for a new world. But this is judging by his old standards. This was something new, with promising adventures instead of the usual boredom he was used to.

—Oh, it’s fine. -Tori said, looking a bit disinterested- I just don’t know them…

Fir smile slowly faded away. Only now he realized that he never showed him their names before. They barely spoke to each other, actually.

—You’re right… -Fir stared at the floor, quite despondent- I know! I’ll show you them; let’s go!

Fir pulls Tori by his wing, leaving the acidic fruit behind and running out of that tight room and Inn. With the same swift steps as before, going through the bigger Pokémon’s legs, hopping over the grounded ones while Tori barely could see the diversity of people around, they soon were at the main town’s fountain. The blue water softly streaking and shining against the morning sun; a fresh breeze with the ocean scent soon took place in the brick streets nearby.

Standing still and waiting for them, there was that tall figure from before, sturdy and with crossed arms, and a smaller one, with big ears, wings and glasses on its head.

—Kai! Marci! -Fir calls for them with a shout- I brought Tori!

That Blaziken looked down upon the owl, with that wry beak and a grumpy look that early in the morning. Almost like rejecting Tori or censoring Fir’s energetic behaviour. Marci’s sympathetic eyes eased that tension, despite not breaking that awkward silence. She was like a mother only by that look.

—So you are Tori. That’s a well chosen name. -she smiles to the owl- Fir told us everything, we’re sorry for not presenting ourselves. I’m Marceline. Or Marci, for short.

That tall bat cleaned her throat and stepped on the Blaziken’s talon. Almost could scream, but he got the message.

—Kai. Nothing else to say. -and turns his look to the roads- Are you done? We have to go.

Nobody had anything else to say, so they departed. Kai leads, Marceline right behind and the youngsters at last. But now, there were two of them.

They followed through the yellow bricks, well lightened by the early morning sunlight, until the guild’s castle and that big entrance. As they stopped by, Tori could only focus on that sun, receiving that light in all its glory. Invigorating, powerful; a hug that brought him pleasure. So that’s how plants feel, he thought to himself.

—Tori, Tori! -Fir calls his attention, breaking him from this trance.

—What? -he recovers from that shock- This is so good…

But Fir didn’t had the patience to wait for that sunbath. He pulls Tori by the wing again, now greener and alive instead of the old opaque tone. The trail Scorbunny left behind was a fiery trap, if he ever tried to release himself.

—Uncle Zam, I brought Tori! -he screams through the echoed corridor, breaking all the concentration from Zam, Kai, Marceline and two smaller squirrels, probably talking about a rescue or exploration.

Alakazam narrowed his eyes again. Still wasn’t used to that rabbit and how hyperative he was, every single day, since his arrival. A mysterious one, because almost nobody knows when he appeared.

—Wait for us outside. I have one more thing to explain to Tori.

Kai was relieved, as Marceline and Fir weren’t. Probably they had plans for that new friend, but would have to wait even longer. Zam puts his papers in a corner and, for the first time in a long time, gets up and leaves from his desk. Tori was quite frightened how that bony and fragile body could even keep its shape and balance without breaking.

—Tori, right? -he chuckles- It suits you well.

—Uh, thank you…

—You are asking yourself why I called you, right? And how I can stand up without breaking.

—I think. How did you?-

That elder laughed quietly, pointing at his own head. Liked to use these tricks under his sleeve.

—A psychic is never out of tricks. -he jokes- It was actually someone else’s request. This one wants to talk to you.

—And who is it? -Tori asks.

—A partner of ours. It has eyes wherever we can and cannot see. Come.

Zam walks quietly through a corridor at Tori’s right, the opposite side where Fir went in the day before. It felt tight, despite fitting both of them. Tori hopped over the steep stairs as Zam barely seemed to touch the floor. They took confusing turns, dark and musty paths around a tower that went up. When the room was lit only by the sun at the narrow stone windows, Zam showed Tori a trapdoor, with an open ladder, leading to a dark room, filled with a weird incense.

—It’s right up there. She didn’t allowed me to get inside, so it’s on your own now.

—Wait, how do I present myself? -Tori asks.

—You don’t have to.

And with a blink of an eye, a pink bright distorted and twisted the world around Zam, making him disappear in plain sight.

Tori was now alone, in the poorly lit hallway and only able to climb up that ladder with hops and shaking the wings towards that sweet scent. Could barely see a thing up there, despite noticing a weak dark red glow around. In one end, that horror story set was lit by some candles, with someone.

The owl coughed as he spotted the new face, mixing shock with the dust and incense for his poor lungs. It was a weird blanket with a native totem look; quite eerie. Had doubts if that wasn’t actually a decoy.

—I…

—You are Tori. -it ambiguous voice responds- I am Ayita. Zam told me about you.

Zam was right. Somehow, this bird with inflexible eyes and a totem body was wise and extremely focused in that sort of meditating state. He felt numb, clear and transparent in front of her. Nothing he thought of could be hidden from her.

—And why did you called me?…

—Your arrival. Your coming. Your relation to the world we now live in.

With that long silence, Ayita explained:

—You came to this world by accident, it’s true. Your awakening from that cave had disturbed things more than I expected.

—What things? -Tori tried to understand.

—I could feel what happened and will happen. Your awakening in this world is the fuse of a confusing future, too far and intriguing. An artifact in your hands could cause a conflict even beyond this realm.

His feathers shivered with every deep word of the Xatu. She was an oracle, a really menacing and uneasy one. Tori was something more than someone that just came to this world by accident. How could his presence in this world be something that bad? Tori knew he was no protagonist, but this goes the opposite way.

—And do I have this artifact?…

—No need to be afraid. -she said- Your mind will recognize it when you see it. It makes a mystical bond with you and it must stay asleep, as it is. Releasing it is our main worry.

—Right… -Tori shakes his head to think better- So I should stay here and away from that thing?

—Yes. Unfortunately we don’t know how to reverse this phenomenon, so we must avoid it.

Rowlet then stays quiet, thinking about what he experienced and was told to. After a long sigh, he responded Ayita with confidence:

—I think I can get used to it. I don’t have anything else to lose even before here.

Even Ayita was quite surprised. How easily his mind changed in so little time. Knew Tori wasn’t lying or faking, so what could explain this?

—From all the hundreds of possibilities I saw -she said- your acceptance maybe was overlooked by me. But you’re free, Tori. Welcome.

—Stay bright, Ms. Ayita. -Tori turned away to hop down the steps.

—Stay bright.

Finally, fresh air and light; no more candles and the muffled air of dusty trinkets with incense. Back at the entrance hallway, Fir waited still and with his ears down, something rare to see. As if someone had died or something bad was happening.

—So, how was it? -Fir asks.

—Fine, I think… -Tori faces the floor- That Ayita calls everyone for this reunion?

—Yes. She can see the future and always knows who are joining. People say they have a good future ahead.

Thinking about that, Tori had a paranoid and worrisome prediction, but nothing telling him about good fortune or wealth.

—She told me about an artifact…

—Hush! Don’t say it! They say doing this nulls everything! -Fir puts a hand on Tori’s beak.

That may be the best option,Tori thought.

—So, how about I show you the guild? This castle is huge! -his wide smile grew again. For the first time, Tori smiled with him.

—I want to see the rooms first.

—So let’s go! Then I’ll show you the chef, it has the best skewers for dinner!

And Fir carries Tori by his wing once again, but this time, Tori has nothing to complain about. It was a contagious pool of joy and energy that, for a former human with a weird and puzzly prophecy, had a great partner to be around.