Hermit

Evening fell over the quiet hills, the setting sun turning them bright red in the dark. There were hardly any Pokemon for miles, and the lone road was overgrown with weeds and broken from a long period without use. After all, this area was close to the fear-inspiring Scar, the endless abyss that split the continent in two. No one dared go near it, afraid of the terrors that haunted it.

 

As such, there was no one present as a glowing star fell from the sky, smashing into the road and sending debris flying into the sky.

 

As the dust settled, a small white figure with green hair stumbled out, very confused about their current situation.

 

This was Alex, another one of the amnesiac humans.

 

Alex struggled to piece things together. They knew their name, and their former species, but everything else was a blur. Their body felt male, but their mind believed itself to be female. Slowly things fell into place.

 

Alex recognized herself as she. But she had been born male. While her memories had been stolen from her, she still felt that way. She smiled softly. That was one dilemma dealt with.

 

Now for the others.

 

While this new body felt somewhat familiar, it was still alien. Looking over herself, she had pure white skin, a strange skirt-like membrane growing off of her hips, and green legs and hair. There were also two weird horns on her head, though she couldn’t see them well.

 

She felt a thrill of happiness as she realized how feminine her new body looked, even though it was still a male one.

 

Looking around, she saw the dark, red rocky terrain and frowned. It did not look particularly inviting, and Alex shivered as a cold breeze whipped past her. This new body wasn’t meant for cold environments. She needed to find some warmth soon.

 

Looking ahead, she noticed a soft, crackling light near the top of one of the hills. A fire. Which meant civilization!

 

She hurried over there, nearly tripping over her thin legs multiple times. This body was a strange one, even if it also felt familiar.

 

As she reached the fire, she noticed it was at the top of the steep hill, tucked away in a cave. Around the base of the hill were assorted logs, stacked neatly together. Looking around, Alex saw no other way up the hill except by climbing.

 

She nervously walked up to it, her tiny hands grabbing onto the rough stone. Tentatively she stepped up onto the wall, taking a calming breath before continuing.

 

It was long, hard, and agonizing. Every step was a fearful one, afraid of slipping and sending her down the cliff. Dust rained around her as she climbed, and her heart lurched every time her hand slipped.

 

But finally, sweating and breathing heavily, she neared the top. She could hear the fire crackling, and she couldn’t wait to sit down by it and relax.

 

However, right as she approached the top, a part of the wall broke and she slipped, letting out a panicked cry as she began to fall.

 

But suddenly a powerful hand grabbed onto her, pulling her up onto the top of the wall before she fell too far.

 

Alex blinked, recovering from her near-death experience, and then took in her savior.

 

They were a big, heavily-muscled black-and white bear, with a yellow muzzle and claws. A bamboo conical hat sat atop his head, and a long green blindfold was wrapped around his eyes.

 

He sighed deeply. “I am not normally one for company, but you climbed all this way and I could not let you fall. So I suppose you can stay a little while.”

 

“Thank you sir.”, Alex replied, sitting down near his fire.

 

“Just call me Wushen.”, the bear muttered.

 

They were quiet for some time.

 

“Why have you come all the way out here?”, Wushen grumbled, “There is nothing for a lone young Pokemon out here. I am not used to travelers nor do I particularly like them.”

 

Alex shivered. “I don’t know. I just woke up out here. I have no memories of anything besides my name and identity.”

 

Wushen tilted his head. “Interesting.”

 

“I wouldn’t have bothered you if I didn’t have to.”, Alex continued, “I don’t know where I am or where to go. I hardly know anything at all now.”

 

Wushen was quiet for a long time.

 

“Very well.”, he sighed, “I suppose you can stay the night. And while I am not up to date on current events, I can give you a rough idea of what this world is like.”

 

Alex beamed. “Thank you!”

 

Wushen sighed again. “Don’t thank me. Any decent Pokemon would do the same thing.”

 

He leaned back against the wall outside the cave. “The land of Archaia is a very dangerous place, especially these days. Ferals run abundant, and tensions between the eighteen kingdoms are far stronger than ever before. A great darkness is stirring – I can sense it on the wind. Soon, all hell will break loose. This world will be torn apart by war.”

 

He sighed. “Out here, I will probably never see it. Not that I could see it anyways.”

 

He tugged lightly at his blindfold, his shoulders sagging with melancholy.

 

Alex frowned. “Are you alright?”

 

Wushen shook his head. “That is none of your concern.”

 

Alex sighed. “Alright.” Another thought came to her head. “Does it not bother you?”

 

“What?”, asked Wushen.

 

“That all this war and stuff is happening?”, Alex elaborated, “Don’t you care about all the suffering that results? Don’t you want to do SOMETHING to help?”

 

Wushen was quiet for a very long time.

 

“It would change nothing.”, he decided, “I am blind and weak. When I was younger, yes. But I am wiser now. This world is not meant for heroes. Only suffering, failure, and regret lie down that path. I am content to stay here and let others try.”

 

Alex crossed her arms and huffed. “What if there are no other heroes!? What if the world needed you, and instead of helping it you stayed here and let it die! How do you know if it will turn out all right?”

 

Wushen sighed. “It is impossible to know anything. There is no point in dwelling over possibilities. You are young. You still believe in the good of the world. I have witnessed firsthand why it is not so. There are no heroes anymore.”

 

Alex was quiet for a moment, turning his words around in her head.

 

“That’s fine, then.”, she muttered, “But I won’t lose faith. Even if it’s slight, I will strive to make a difference. I want to make the world a better place. Not hide away from it.”

 

Then she turned away from Wushen, sitting on the bluff and looking out to the stars. She felt as if she could sense something among them, but couldn’t place it.

 

She could feel pangs in her mind, her words causing her brain to grasp at memories that weren’t there. She knew there were reasons why she felt the way she did about all this – but she could no longer remember them. The feeling was there but not the cause.

 

‘I suppose while I try to change the world I can do some memory searching along the way…’, she thought.

 

She sat there for some time longer, straining to pull any together. Eventually she felt her eyes grow heavy, and she slumped over.

 

As she lay against the stone, falling asleep, she heard some quiet footsteps come up, and a heavy warm blanket was laid over her. Alex let out a contented sigh, and passed into a deep dreamless slumber. (-o-)

 

When she awoke the next morning, she noticed she had been moved into the cave. She felt safe, warm, and snug under the blanket, and found it rather difficult to motivate herself to move.

 

But finally she managed to overcome her laziness and pulled herself out of the blanket. She noticed Wushen sitting outside, carefully tending to the fire. He gestured her over as she moved, never once looking towards her.

 

Then again, he HAD said he was blind.

 

She walked over to him and sat nearby. With a grunt, he slid her a bowl of well-roasted fruits, of strange varieties she wasn’t familiar with.

 

Alex nibbled on one, and was astonished by the explosion of flavor. She eagerly started digging in, chowing away until they were all gone.

 

Once she polished them off, Wushen asked, “So, you are leaving?”

 

Alex nodded. “I suppose I am. That road there has to lead somewhere. I will find it. And my path from there will unfurl before me.”

 

Wushen sighed. “You are very foolish if you think you’ll just find the right thing to do.”

 

Alex shrugged. “Well, I’m not gonna find it just sitting here.”

 

Wushen nodded solemnly. “I suppose that is also true.”

 

He pointed a claw towards a large, thick rope ladder off the side of the hill. “That is the way down.”

 

Alex nodded. “Alright. Farewell. Thanks for letting me stay.”

 

But as she walked over towards it, Wushen stood up tall, revealing a large pack on his back.

 

“I wouldn’t say that just yet.”, he rumbled.

 

Alex’s eyes widened. “Are you…coming with me?”

 

“You are right.”, Wushen said, “Foolish, but right. Hiding away changes nothing, means nothing. Even if we fail, we will fail trying.”

 

He chuckled. “Besides, something tells me you’ll need my help out there.”

 

Alex smiled. “Thank you.”

 

Wushen shrugged. “It’s alright. Come. We have a long journey ahead.”

 

The two climbed down the ladder, and then set off down the old road as the sun rose above them. (-o-)