Chapter 1 – A brand new life

Carlos lay face up below a tree’s shadow right after the quake that made him wake up from the weird dream; or more so nightmare, drowning a terrified scream as he got up from the ground, pupils shrunken. He looked around in search of anything or anyone. A dense forest lay before him with tall trees that seemed to never stop growing taller the more Carlos looked at them. It appeared he was in the forest’s entrance. The creatures hidden amongst the tops of the many trees and thorny bushes, which did not seem to end as far as his sight was able to perceive them; chirped, murmured and growled at a new day bestowed upon them, as the sun bathed everything and everyone under it’s warm light welcoming them to a brand new day. More confused than before, Carlos placed both hands on his head while closing his eyes to recall what happened before waking up. Mere seconds later the familiar voice Carlos heard in his dream called him, who was more than happy to see their plan worked wonders.

“Hey, you finally woke up! I’m sorry for tackling you but man, I’ve never seen such a sleepy Charcadet before, you know?” – A little creature remarked making Carlos open his eyes in disbelief at the statement, finally meeting the culprit of the tremor in his dream.-

A Budew stood in front of him, smiling ear to ear in both excitement and curiosity. Its characteristic rounded apron was spikier than normal, as well as the pattern of their bud. Apart from those two slight differences they weren’t that distinct from the average. Carlos was most shocked at the “Charcadet” thing, laughing nervously.

“O-ok, that was a good one, kiddo. You almost got me! You’re such a little prankster, are you? I’m not a Charcadet. Why would I be one? I’m a human, not a Pokemon!” – Carlos answered, smiling at the Budew with concern in his eyes, fearing something physically happened to him.-

“Uh- Nope! You have the flame, a big head, and a helmet too! I’ve never seen a Charcadet before until now, that’s awesome! I thought they only lived in metal-rich areas, or so I heard…” – The Budew added, looking at Carlos from top to bottom with a never ending smile. Meanwhile, Carlos began to look at his hands and arms in disbelief. The living bud noticed his concern, staring at the Charcadet with no response from Carlos’ side.- “Huh. Are you okay? What has gotten into you now?”

The Pokemon’s questions were of no use to grab the human-turned-Charcadet’s attention. Carlos’ pupils shrunk to the horrid realitation his appearance completely changed, now equal to a Charcadet’s. He frantically began touching his body, unable to even utter a word from the sheer shock. His face was rounded, with yellow freckles amongst the majority of it and the shoulders. There was also a helmet of sorts, trying his hardest to pull it out of himself; unable to do so. It felt like it had been super glued onto his head. Just behind the “half helmet” lay a burning flame, hot to the touch, if not for the fact that Carlos didn’t react by the heat. Swiftly, he grabbed a bright red “skirt”, although this one only went over the sides and back.

Carlos brought his hands to his face once again, rapidly breathing in and out. Then to the skirt. To the helmet. His legs, feet, palms, neck. Everything that his hands could touch and his eyes could see.

“Ah… No… No, no, no, no. This can’t be real, t-this must be another dream. I’ll wake up again if I try hard enough, right? There’s no way I’m hearing a Budew talk, even less me looking like a Pokemon. Did I get drunk at that party and this is the consequence?” – He thought, lowering his head as he tried to convince himself just like the previous night, before waking up in this place he didn’t know anything about.-

Once again he was stranded in the middle of nowhere and now, as a Charcadet.

“This is bullshit, what did I ever do to deserve something like this?” – He muttered staring at the grass just below his feet, due to everything Carlos forced himself to process in that moment.-

“Hey, don’t worry. You’re lost and want to return home, right? I can help you do so!” – The Budew added, worried about Carlos.-

It approached him as the bud talked with a faded smile, making sure Carlos was able to see them. This actually grabbed his attention, breathing heavily to think both rationally and appropriately.

“Wait, are you serious? Will you help me, a human-turned-Charcadet return to Earth? To a vastly different world than yours at that.” – Carlos argued, kneeling down with a downcast voice and expression to let the Budew properly explain itself. Meanwhile, little amounts of smoke escaped from Carlos’ position, lightly scorching the grass pressed by the Charcadet’s legs.-

“Well, yeah. You seem so moody about all of this. We’re only able to travel towards dungeons, caves and other places if we’re guild members. As far as my little knowledge goes, of course. Plus, you don’t seem to be affiliated with any guild. We could make a team together, though!”

“So… You’re saying I should work alongside you, despite not knowing anything about one another.”

“Yup! But first we should introduce ourselves. We’ll do so while I return alongside you to Tándem Village, where I live. I will gladly take you there, dear friend!” – The Budew struck a prideful pose, smiling ear to ear once again.-

Carlos raised an eyebrow and made a slightly concerned face looking up and down at the Budew, expressing a lot of doubt. Mere moments later, it stopped posing that way to continue its monologue. 

“So, what do you think about that plan? We’re safer now that the sun’s rising. Nocturnal Pokemon are more dangerous in this region, no one’s certain of what causes them to be that way.”

“… Ugh, I suppose we should do so. But at least, believe me on what I’ve said before. I’m a human that’s trapped on this body, whether you like it or not. I don’t even know if I am able to evolve in either Armarouge or Ceruledge!” – Carlos sighed, standing up from the slightly burnt grass which left some ash leftovers in his legs, quickly swiping them off.- “Let’s get going then… Go ahead and show me the way, uh…”

“Shīdo!” – The Budew said enthusiastically turning away from Carlos, starting to walk towards their destination.- “I’m the son of a florist up in Tándem Village, my parents will be very worried about my whereabouts if we stay here some more time.”

“Shīdo, huh. What a peculiar name you have there.” – The Charcadet muttered catching up with Shīdo’s incessant skips to the village the Pokemon mentioned- 

He closed his eyes in pain immediately after leaving the tree’s shadow, getting struck by the sun’s light on the side of his face. This drove Carlos to raise his arm to not get blind by the sun again.

“Before I forget. My name is Carlos. It’s a pretty common name on Earth, at least from the “region” I belong to.”

“I see… And you say you’re a human, right? But didn’t the adults at the village tell us humans don’t exist here? Even less one that looks like a Pokemon. I suppose guildmaster Ánima could help you…”

“Humans are non-existent… Maybe that’s why I’m a Pokemon instead of my usual looks. Let’s hope I get used to… This new body and probably life of mine.” – Carlos raised his other arm and clenched his fist, or lack thereof. He frowned upon the idea of staying like this for as long as he lived.-

“Yeah, I hope to get used to this as well…” – Shīdo answered, looking at Carlos out of the corner of his eye.-

The trip to Tándem village had just begun, but both Carlos and Shīdo could observe a mountain range in the distance. It could maybe take them about ten to fifteen minutes walking to reach their destination if they didn’t have any hindrance along the way. The tall grass shaken by a slight wind, the absence of trees in the surroundings. It was the perfect opportunity for any Pokemon to attack. An uncomfortable silence formed between the two of them for a few seconds, the sounds of their footsteps and Carlos’ flame providing enough noise to prevent a devastating silence. Amidst the quietness a faint rustle could be heard to their right. Rapidly, that sound began to increase in volume. Both Carlos and Shīdo looked at each other, with the former narrowing his eyes in doubt and confusion, waiting patiently to identify who or what was making that sound.

••••••

“I still can’t believe we had to take this task because the other ones were already dealt with. This one comes from… Shīdo’s parents?!” – A Pawniard announced in disbelief as it walked, reading a worn out paper with a task written on it, smirking before shrieking with laughter.- “Ok, this one will be EASY! Free rescue points for our team don’t you think, guys? Man, this is such a piece of cake… What could’ve he got himself into this time…”

“Really? I won’t believe it until I read this with my own eyes. Hand it over, Kuro.” – A Haunter answered while giggling, snatching the paper out of Kuro’s hands to read those same words.- “Pfft- YOU’RE RIGHT! THIS IS FROM HIS PARENTS! LOOK AT THIS, RAGNO!”

“Huh? Uh… Oh! It’s true, Pouli! How will we find Shīdo either way? Plus, he knows it’s prohibited to travel without being a guild member OR a specialised person. Did he not learn anything?” – Complained a Spinarak, grabbing the paper with their two front legs from Pouli’s hands.-

The Pokémon walking towards the forest south of Tándem Village are a trio known as “Team Shadow”, formed by Kuro, Pouli and Ragno. This first one is the leader of the team: a Pawniard with black armour, green eyes and pale skin known for his reckless attitude. Pouli and Ragno are no better than him, but they aren’t as fierce with their emotions as Kuro. Pouli is a Haunter with a dark purple striped pattern on his top spikes, and Ragno a Spinarak with a fluffier body and a tired expression in the mark located in his torax. The three of them wear a yellow scarf and a tricolour badge in full view, symbol of their affiliation as members at Tándem Village’s guild.

“Why would I want to know? It’s his problem, not ours. I’m just doing this for the rescue points and for laughs. Imagine he comes back being chased by a Pokemon from around here, at the crack of dawn…” – Kuro bragged as he checked his blades for any sign that indicated they were unsharpened.-

Ragno turned his eyes away from the paper to look ahead of them, noticing a figure sprinting towards them. Two vague screams could be heard in the distance, one higher pitched than the other. The Spinarak half-closed their eyes in a confused manner, wondering if his team partners were looking at the exact same thing. Ragno and Pouli exchanged glances for an instant while Kuro was in his own world. Finally, Ragno took the courage to talk.

“Hey, is that a Charcadet? A-Are you both seeing this?”

“Huh? Ragno, what has gotten into you now? Did you get exposed to a Seviper’s poison or something?” – The Pawniard asked while raising an eyebrow in confusion, coming back to reality.-

“WHAT? NO, I DIDN’T! There’s a Charcadet just ahead of us, dude!” – Ragno pointed just front of the trio, where the screams came from and grew stronger by the second.-

“Let’s just go and see who’s screaming that much. If you two don’t mind, I’ll be making my way.” – Pouli sighed as Kuro and Ragno were left behind arguing, as he flew towards the location of the screams. Both of them followed Pouli shortly after he took off. The Haunter placed his hands above each one of his eyes to avoid the sunlight and then he saw a familiar face.- “… Is that Shīdo?”

The three members of Team Shadow watched in disbelief the chase taking place between Carlos, Shīdo and a really angry Nidorino. It seemed the duo got into their territory accidentally and the three Pokemon knew about it, looking rather amused at the scenario with smiles on their faces. Sooner than later Kuro began laughing, and Ragno followed shortly for a few seconds.

They looked at each other smirking, trading glances. Pouli pointed at Kuro, then to Ragno, to himself and lastly to the Nidorino. Both Ragno and Kuro nodded like they knew what all that pointing was about. Immediately they stepped forward, preparing to reclaim those precious rescue points.

“RUN FASTER, CARLOS! PERFORM A MOVEMENT, GET OUT OF THE WAY, DO SOMETHING!” – Shīdo screamed while being held by Carlos as the Budew looked out of the corner of his eye, the Nidorino chasing them both.- “DON’T YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO BLIND IT?”

“HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO KNOW HOW TO PERFORM A MOVEMENT? I’M A HUMAN! I DIDN’T HAVE THE CAPABILITIES FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS UNTIL NOW!” – Carlos answered as he heard the Nidorino preparing to perform Poison Sting, a faint sound cue of toxic waste accumulating in the Pokemon’s horn.- “DON’T YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ATTACK THIS NIDORINO WITH?”

The Nidorino shot a barrage of toxic darts from its horn, quickly driving Carlos to run faster than ever before. He was forced to jump just to avoid the ones that were directed to his legs, moments where he almost tripped.

“I’m so sorry, Shīdo. I can’t run anymore even if I could…” – He groaned, drained of energy.-

Carlos’ legs became so exhausted from the tremendous effort he was putting to escape the Nidorino that he quickly slowed down and, after a few seconds, nearly stood motionless, loosening his hold on Shīdo to catch some air.

“Oh, come on Carlos, just a bit more! I know you can do it!” – Shīdo answered with an anxious smile, turning to observe the Nidorino charging another Poison Sting as it approached towards them at breakneck speed. Shīdo’s face turned from a worried smile to a horrified expression.- “UHM- UH…”

In a hurry the Budew slipped from the Charcadet’s grasp as he came to a complete stop, trembling in fear. He briefly opened his mouth, ready to perform his own Poison Sting as a desperate measure. Shīdo was willing to protect this person he just met a few minutes ago, acting as a miniscule barrier between the two Pokemon. He didn’t know why he was doing something this dangerous, probably because of pure instinct. Another barrage of spikes from the Nidorino came towards the duo but ultimately, Shīdo closed his eyes and mouth shut.

“METAL CLAW!”

Loud clanging sounds followed those words, as if one or two metal pieces deflected the spikes directed at them. Shīdo partially opened his eyes, intrigued as to what or who may have produced them. Shīdo was astonished and taken aback as he entirely opened his eyes.

“KURO!” – Shīdo screamed with unbearable joy, stepping forward to catch up to Kuro. The Pawniard, however, was frowning at such an… Energetic welcoming.- “Oh Arceus, it’s great to see you here! Me and Ca-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just shut up until we’re done with this. I… Appreciate the welcoming, I guess.” – Kuro quickly waved one of his blades interrupting Shīdo, rolling his eyes from the Budew to focus on the opponent, lifting his blades while frowning, adopting a battle stance.- “Ok guys, we seem to have an eager one to battle!”

The Nidorino, shining with a whitish tint, charged at Kuro using Take Down to run over everyone that stood in its way. A confident smirk formed in Kuro’s face, and parried the attack with a Sucker Punch directed into the jaw, astonishing the opponent for an instant. The Pokemon shook its head and glared at the Pawniard in a fit of rage. It used another attack, Peck. A light blue glow was concentrated in its horn. The Pokemon lunged towards Kuro, beginning an exchange of stabs and clashes between the two of them. When one of them attacked, the other avoided it and vice versa.

“Seems you still have a lot of energy to burn away. I’m glad my team will be the one to put you in your place!”– The Pawniard bragged to enrage the opponent a little more using Torment, resulting in an effect on the frenzied beast. He avoided an incoming Poison Sting by jumping to the side.- “Aww, is that all you have in your repertoire? Pathetic. Seems I was right after all, these long due rescue points will be easier to obtain than I first thought.”

Kuro attacked with Metal Claw once again. The enemy countered with Fury Attack, stabbing forward towards the Pawniard. The last of them barely struck Kuro, making him bleed a little from his right arm. Kuro stared at the injury for a moment while frowning, just before leaping backwards to prepare himself for a second Take Down falling prey to anger, something common in him.

“FURY CUTTER!” – Kuro yelled. His blades started to glow with a green coloration, and dug his feet into the ground to endure the natural force of the enemy. A second clash between them occurred.- 

Kuro began to lose his balance as the endurance battle went on for longer, grunting as his feet slipped from the support he made for himself. Pouli and Ragno entered the fight eager to assist Kuro, who was exhibiting signs of fatigue.

“String Shot!” – shouted Ragno to prevent the Nidorino from attacking, wrapping it in a silky, thick substance that came out the mouth of the Spinarak. It was strong enough for it to not break by the opponent’s strength.- “Come here! Now it’s my turn to give you a lesson.”

He grabbed the string with his fangs pulling the Nidorino towards him. The enemy growled, knowledgeable of its disadvantage. It took a desperate measure, using Fury Attack to escape Ragno’s grasp. It stabbed places where the string interconnected, escaping just before Ragno could get a hit.

“Shit, I wasted my opportunity again…” – Ragno muttered while frowning, using String Shot once again as an improvised rope.- “It’s your time to shine, Pouli! Show that Nidorino who’s boss here!”

Meanwhile, Shīdo watched in amazement the battle taking place, keeping an eye on Carlos from time to time. It seemed he felt a lot better, looking at the fight as well. The Budew could observe how the Charcadet was still somewhat tired from all that running, though. Even more after waking up like that. Shīdo, worried about Carlos’ state, approached him while the Charcadet observed the battle come to an end. Pouli managed to put the Nidorino to sleep using Hypnosis, despite failing to do so the first couple of times.

“How’s everything, Carlos? You feel better after getting chased by this Nidorino?” – A worried smile appeared on Shīdo’s face, still astonished by what happened before.-

“I’m doing well…  It’s still difficult to have a giant head and miniscule body, but that’s what I got. Although, I look like a miniature bighead from town fairs… God, I hate those things.” – Carlos frowned upon the comparison with a disgusted expression, sensing a chill running down his spine.- “By the way, Shīdo… I apologise for what happened. I suppose it was my flame that alerted the Nidorino. I put both of us in a really dangerous scenario.”

“Why would you apologise for something you couldn’t control? Nidorino and Nidorina are naturally territorial, as well as their evolutions. Or at least that’s what my father told me. We were lucky Team Shadow came to help us too, despite… Their not so great reputation.” – Shīdo answered with a nervous giggle, observing how the trio was laughing and bragging about the accomplishment. Carlos raised an eyebrow in confusion for a brief moment, resting his hands on his hips afterwards.-

“We’ve done a good job. I almost thought we wouldn’t even have something to spice this mission up. All it takes is to make his parents sign the completion square and we’ll get the points!” – Pouli announced with a joyful smile as he got near the duo.-

“Now… What do we do with this Charcadet? Shīdo, do you even know who this guy is?! Or girl- I don’t know, all Charcadet look the same! My point still stands.” – Ragno pointed at Carlos with a concerned look on their face, waiting impatiently for an answer.-

“We can use this Charcadet as bonus rescue points, I guess. The more, the merrier! It’ll be nice after fighting an enraged Nidorino and getting my blades dull.” – Kuro shrugged his shoulders without a care about who Carlos was, the Pawniard just wanted to get the job done and return to the village.-

“Well… This Charcadet’s name is Carlos and he’s a human-turned-Charcadet!” – Shīdo optimistically declared to Team Shadow. Carlos’ reaction upon hearing what the Budew just said was of absolute horror and embarrassment, turning his head immediately towards Shīdo.- “I found him in the outskirts, right next to Hollow Forest’s entrance! He was lying face up below a tree’s shadow and decided to take him with me. You know what happened right after.”

“Wait, wait, wait. So you’re saying this Char- Sorry, Carlos right here is a human. Am I getting this clear, Shīdo?” – Pouli asked, bringing his hands together near his mouth. The Haunter brought them down a bit, attempting to be serious upon hearing that story.-

“Yup!”

Team Shadow as a whole looked at Shīdo absolutely flabbergasted. A human-turned-Charcadet? In what world something like that happens? All three members looked at each other while trying to process the information just given. Kuro brought one of his blades to his mouth, trying his hardest to contain his incoming laughter. Carlos placed his left hand on his face, embarrassed. Whether he liked it or not, bad things were bound to happen.

Soon enough, the three Pokemon laughed uncontrollably. Shīdo’s smile started to fade, and Carlos looked at him out of the corner of his eye, taking his hand off his face to cheer the Budew up, squatting to get to his height.

“It’s okay Shīdo, people aren’t bound to believe such a story…” – The Charcadet said in an effort to keep Shīdo optimistic. A little smile formed on his face, happy to know at least Carlos didn’t laugh.-

“OH MY GOD, THAT WAS A GREAT LAUGH! But in all seriousness, Shīdo. A human-turned-Charcadet? Well, that’s a new one. And to think a weakling like you would travel this far for… Something that might as well be a lie you just made up.” – Kuro retorted in a furious expression. He approached Shīdo and tapped his bud a couple of times, an action that annoyed the Budew. Carlos only listened to the Pawniard, taken aback by everything Kuro was babbling about.-

“You’re in big trouble, buddy. Breaking the rules like this. And you want to become an explorer in the village’s guild? Or even more, guildmaster Ánima’s successor? Tch, don’t make me laugh. If it weren’t for mister Flaming head right here, you would’ve been dead meat. Now let’s take both of you to the village, this gave me enough headaches for today.”

Kuro stood up from the ground and headed to the village up north. Pouli and Ragno sighed, following Kuro. The Haunter stayed a bit behind his team partners, waiting for Carlos and Shīdo to come with them. Both had to oblige if they wanted to return safe and sound. Shīdo was the most discouraged out of the two.

“You know how he is, Shīdo. I’m no better than Kuro, but at least I’m tactful. I hope he someday matures. I don’t think his anger will change, though.”

“Even then, it was really out of place for him to say something like that.” – Carlos answered, picking up Shīdo from the ground to make the travel easier for him.-

“He always does it. And I try my best to understand him, but sometimes it’s impossible with how poorly he manages his emotions. Just a tiny cut and he became enraged. He sometimes thinks he’s untouchable…”

“But I just… Told the truth… I suppose I can explain the story to him tomorrow!” – Shīdo enthusiastically said as he began to smile as Shīdo always does, taking both Carlos and Pouli aback by how quickly he recovered from the situation.-

“HEY, YOU THREE ARE COMING HERE ALREADY OR WHAT?! MY PATIENCE IS RUNNING OUT!” – Kuro screamed, with a potency that might as well be heard in Tándem Village.-

Carlos shook his head and began to walk towards the Pawniard, hoping they could get to the place Team Shadow and Shīdo lived in. With all these names, he knew a study session of a map and other landmarks was mandatory at this point. Carlos had two options: Go to the place that was objectively better… Or a forest filled to the brim with wild Pokemon without any way to defend himself. It seemed his journey to return home would be a long one.