Moon Shadow

Gaius waited for Melrose and the Litten to hop off of his back before lowering his head down to the level of the little Pikachu. The Tropius gave her a stern look. “You shouldn’t have run off like that, Mel. You could’ve gotten seriously injured. You’re lucky Koa came and got me before it was too late.”

“I know, Papa.” Melrose tucked her head down. “I’m sorry, sir…”

“That being said,” Gaius’s expression eased. “Nightshade Grove isn’t a dungeon fit for learning the basics. Don’t be hard on yourself over failing to do it alone, that’s what going to school is for.” The Tropius carefully nuzzled the top of her head as the Pikachu stayed quiet. He gave her a soft lick, which made Melrose squeak happily– finally appearing less glum.

Litten observed the family exchange with a vague sense of awkwardness. The intimacy just made him feel odd, and the Litten thought perhaps he shouldn’t be watching them.

“I should ground ya, I really should, but I’m just relieved I found you in one piece.” Gaius turned to Litten, and his smile never faltered. “I bet I have you to thank for that, don’t I? Thanks for watching my daughter’s back, kind stranger. That said… who are you, exactly? What on Earth were you doing in Nightshade Grove?”

Litten didn’t know what to say, and, even when he tried to muster up anything, the words got caught in his throat. He wasn’t left with his suspicious stammering for too long, though, as Melrose jumped in to save the day. “Papa! The Pokémon you see before you is a one-hundred-percent bon… bon-naf… ide… is for sure a tried-and-true human being!”

“Hold on, Rosie. What’d you just say?” Gaius’s voice grew stern again. “You tellin’ me this boy’s a human? That’s ridiculous.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.” The Litten’s tail flicked.

“But!-” She glanced back and forth at both of them. “He woke up in the middle of nowhere without any memories! And he can’t use no Pokémon moves either! Sounds like a human, if ya ask me.” Melrose crossed her arms in a disgruntled manner, her nose now twitching. “Oh, and he said somethin’ about remembering not being a Litten. I’m tellin’ you, smells like human to m–”

“Mel, hold on. I believe you.” Gaius gave a cold look at the stranger. “At least, I sort of believe you. However, it’s always best not to make assumptions.” The Tropius lifted his head back up high. “Stay with us for now, little one. You helped protect my darling Melrose, so our home is yours… as long as you do me another little favor.”

WIth nowhere else to go, a roof over his head and food sounded great. Besides, just about anything this Pokémon could ask of him would probably be worth it. He craned his neck upwards to make eye-contact with the mighty Tropius. “Sure, what is it?”

“Make sure to tell me if you remember anything about yourself, anything at all. Even if it’s small, it might help us get to the bottom of things.” He turned away from the smaller Pokémon for a moment or two, and blinked slowly at what seemed to be nothing. “And, you ain’t lying, right boy?”

“N–” Litten’s voice got caught in his throat again. “No sir… I don’t know how to assure you that I’m not trying to deceive anyone, but I can promise you that it’s my honest truth. The only thing I remember about myself is that I definitely wasn’t a Litten before waking up in that forest.”

Gaius gave the stranger an unflinching look, mulling something over in his head while Litten waited nervously for him to stop. He finally felt like he could breathe again once the Tropius pulled away. “Hmm, alright, then I’ll let the others know it’s break time. You two should have a couple Oran berries and a rest. It’s about lunch time, anyhow.” Gaius looked up at the sky. “I heard rumors about a solar eclipse today, and I was thinking we could all have a picnic and watch the phenomenon.”

Melrose’s eyes lit up, “A solar eclipse? I’ve never-ever-ever seen one of those before!” She smiled brightly at Litten. “Today’s turning out to be real special! I met a human, now I get to see an Eclipse!” The Pikachu squeaked with delight as her red cheeks cackled from static.

The Tropius walked back to the farm house to herd everyone together, and Melrose sat down on the soft grass to stare up at the clear sky. Litten hesitated before joining her, carefully laying down a few feet away.

Nate was the first to come bounding out of the house. “Mel!” He grabbed the Pikachu by the shoulders and shook her. “You dummy! Don’t you know how much trouble I would have been in if you’d gotten hurt!”

Litten sneered, “By the sound of it, you care more about how you turned out than how she did.”

Nate leered back at him. “And just who the heck are you?”

Melrose pulled Nate’s hands off her. “He’s my new friend I met in the forest. He helped me fight off a nasty Tangela, and is certainly braver than you’ll ever be.” She huffed, smiling from her little tease. Nate frowned harder.

“Well, when I realized you ran into Nightshade Grove, I wasn’t just gonna stupidly rush in after ya!” The Aipom’s tail bonked Melrose on the head, which made her cheeks spark. “Seriously though,” His voice became much softer. “I wasn’t trying to be mean or nothin’ about that school stuff. Really…”

Melrose looked up at him, the irritation leaving her gaze. “I know I’ve been non-stop blabbering about it, so maybe I can see why it might be a little annoying…” Her cheeks sparked again and her nose twitched, “But that ain’t no excuse to crush my dreams!”

The two of them tussled for a little bit, which was amusing to watch. It was just like a scuffle between siblings. Litten was trying not to laugh at them, but it seemed like all was well. Still, he felt like he was invading their family moment, so Litten kept his eyes off the bickering Pokémon to better distance himself from this alien sense of intrusion.

Once everyone was outside and raring to watch the supposed eclipse, Melrose was excitingly introducing everyone to her new companion. Litten nodded despondently each time another farmhand was described to him.

“Workin’ a farm takes a lot of teamwork! Nate and I are the harvesters, Koa transports our produce both around and out of the fields, Chile washes the apples and is in charge of all things hy-dro-philic,” she smiled after pronouncing such a difficult word. “Oh, and of course, Gaius manages everything!”

“You know, he still hasn’t told us his name.” Nate gave a suspicious sniff in the newcomer’s direction.

“It’s ’cause he don’t remember it!” Melrose announced, as if this was a good thing. The Litten’s ears flattened slightly— it was becoming apparent that his amnesia was a novelty to Melrose. He took a timid bite out of his Oran Berry snack before looking up at the sky. He could just barely hear Melrose as she leaned over to Nate and whispered excitedly, “Isn’t he mysterious?”

“I guess so,” Nate didn’t bother to keep his voice down.

Chile waddled over to the Litten and smiled up at him. “I wanted to thank you personally for keeping Rosie safe.” The Lotad’s soft, pleasant voice eased Litten’s tension.

“I wasn’t going to leave a Pokémon in danger like that,” Litten looked down at the little lily pad. “I don’t really feel like I deserve all this thanks. I just felt like it was the right thing to do.”

“Ah, modest too…” He blushed while blinking slowly. “So cool…”

Litten returned the blush and rubbed the back of his head with a paw. He really didn’t feel cool, or mysterious, or whatever. This was all very silly, but was probably a product of these Pokémon not getting out much. He realized the Lotad was back to gazing up at him, and, in a moment of playfulness, Litten licked the back of his paw and swept his head fur before winking. “Maybe, it was my hero instincts kicking in.”

Chile’s expression brightened even further as he quacked with delight. Nate rolled his eyes at the exchange, and Melrose was giggling to herself. “Alright, Mister Hero! Don’t let Chile give you a big head about it! You weren’t even able to use any moves. You saved me with a rock!”

Chile gasped, “You saved Rosie without even using any moves?” His amazement refused to fade.

Litten laughed, “That’s not exactly what happened.”

“Chile, you know how when you use Water Gun– you don’t really even have to think about it? My friend here says that he just can’t do that.” Melrose shrugged, “which is the big reason I think he’s–”

Gaius cleared his throat. “Hey, everyone. Pay attention. I think that the eclipse is starting.” At the Tropius’s command, everyone glanced up at the sky– careful as to not look directly at the sun.

In an instant, darkness enveloped the farm below. A chill rushed down everyone’s spine at the surprisingly sudden drop in temperature. The shine of the sun behind the moon was impossible for anyone to look directly at, which made everyone have to avert their eyes in some way. Everyone, except for Litten, whose eyes were growing as dark as the world around him. The Litten’s heart fluttered like a swarm of Vivillon, blood thundered in his ears with the wrath of an Electivire, and the conversation around him soon became faint and incomprehensible.

Something beyond the sheltered sun was calling out to him, and Litten worked hard to keep his front paws planted on the ground. They itched to grasp up towards the sky, as if he wanted to grip onto something that wasn’t there, and hold onto it so that it couldn’t get away from him. The noise rupturing through his whole body halted suddenly, leaving the Litten with a cold feeling of dissatisfaction and longing. Light filtered back over the farm as if it had never left, and the Litten lifted a paw upwards to grasp softly at his own chest. As the sky returned to its natural order, so too did Litten’s heartbeat.

Melrose shook her frozen friend and laughed, unaware of his inner turmoil. “What a display, huh! Must be a crazy first day of memories for you!” The Litten was unresponsive, so Melrose shook him again. “Hey silly, are you even listening to m–”

“Xander.” The Pokémon responded coolly, his eyes unblinking. “My name is Xander. I just remembered it.”

The Litten did not turn his head away from the sky, so he could not have noticed everyone looking amongst themselves. There was a soft murmur, and eventually a scoff.

“We’re really to believe he just now remembered his own name? Are you kidding me?” Nate rolled his eyes again. “What a riot, this guy. I’m getting real tired of his schtick.”

“No, I’m serious.” Xander finally pulled his gaze away from the sky, making direct eye-contact with Nate. “I heard it, as if someone was calling me by that name.” He stood up to his fours, now looking up at Gaius, “I wouldn’t have any reason to lie about it before.” Xander shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just my name.”

Nate opened his mouth to object, but was quickly cut off by the Tropius above him. “Xander it is, then.” He looked down at all his farmhands and nodded his head, “Alright crew, break time is over. I don’t want a lousy harvest just because we’ve had an exciting day.”

Melrose perked up, “Oh! Xander, you could come and help me and Nate!”

“Sorry, Rosie.” Gaius shook his head disapprovingly. “I actually need your new friend’s attention. You and Nate hustle along, and no more running into trouble– ya hear?”

Melrose’s ears fell and she sighed, “Yes, Papa.”

Koa started to make his way towards the orchard wordlessly, and the two smaller Pokémon giggled to each other before hopping up onto his back. Xander watched them ride off before glancing nervously at the rather imposing farmer staring down at him. “What do you need me for, sir?”

“C’mere.” He grumbled before gesturing at the farmhouse. Xander made his way inside, and realized once he had gone through the front entrance that this place was far too small for a Tropius. He turned back towards the door, where Gaius was nowhere to be seen. There was a loud call from the back of the house. “This way! Hurry up!”

Xander skedaddled to the back, where there was a door that led to a garage of sorts. Xander assumed this was where Koa and Gaius lived, considering the larger furniture and a high-rising roof. He couldn’t help wondering why a farm owned by a heavyset Pokémon wasn’t entirely catered to his stature.

Gaius set a parcel by Xander’s feet, causing the Litten to tilt his head. “What is this?”

“Did Melrose tell you about why she went a-runnin’ off into the Grove?”

Xander nodded, “Yeah, she talked about the school she wanted to get into before we got attacked by that Tangrowth.” The Litten’s tail perked up when he took another look at the package, “wait! Then… this must be–”

“Exactly.” Gaius smiled to himself. “I’m waiting until dinner to let her know. It arrived before she even woke up this morning. I wanted to give her a big hoorah about it, ya know?” He nudged the parcel back up against the wall.

“Why are you telling me before everyone else then?” Xander fidgeted with his paw.

“Because, I have another favor to ask of you, and I need to know you’re on board with it before I give Rosie the news.” He sighed into his chest before looking outside. “At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I was thinkin’ maybe I’d send Koa to the capital with her, but I can’t go long without him. He would have to come right back home.” Gaius lowered his head to the ground, going quiet as he locked eyes with Xander. The Litten could see the troubled expression mixed so thoroughly into this father’s pride, and felt a pang of guilt that had next to nothing to do with him.

“You’re a trustworthy sort, that much I can definitely tell. I see it in those big eyes of yours, Xander. Human or not, you have a resolve unlike anyone I’ve met in a long time.”

The praise only made Xander’s stomach churn, especially at the mention of that “human-thing” again. What exactly was this Pokémon getting at?

Gaius maintained eye-contact as he finally spilled his request. “Xander, can I ask you to protect my daughter?”

Taken aback by the sudden request, Xander stiffened. “Wh-what? What exactly do you mean by that?”

“It means what you think it might mean. Stay by her side, keep her company, make sure she’s safe… for me.” His voice was pained, making Xander ease up a little. “I need you to go to the Capital with Melrose and watch over her the best you can. She’s taken a real shine to you, and I can’t afford to lose two farm hands at once, even for a short while.”

“I guess I can get behind the reasoning…” Xander sighed into his chest, finally pulling his gaze away from Gaius’s pleading eyes. “But, I feel like I’m hardly the Pokémon for the job.” Xander admitted. “You just met me, after all…”

“I know, Xander. However, I trust you, likely more than any Father probably should, with the safety of his daughter. But, it’s as if Arceus itself sent you from the sky above for this request.” The Tropius looked up towards the sky, his eyes meeting with the roof of his house. Gaius truly believed that.

Xander fidgeted with the ring around his neck. It was easy to tell Gaius wasn’t going to let him say no. And besides, It wasn’t even worth debating him; there was actually nothing else in the whole world that Xander had to go and do, so he was rather dry in the excuse department. With a stiff smile, Xander lifted his head back up to look at Gaius. “I’ll do my best, sir…” He mumbled sheepishly.

The Tropius’s eyes lit up with hope, “Thank you kindly, Xander.” Then, Gaius nodded his head as if to confirm something with himself. “I still plan on announcing everything this evening, in the meantime– I insist you get some rest. Guest room is upstairs, go ahead and get situated.” Gaius turned his head away from the Litten to stare outside silently, so Xander took that as his signal to leave. He considered saying thank you, but the hesitation would have made the exchange awkward.

The staircase was near the washroom: presenting Xander with the biggest challenge yet: climbing stairs on all fours without tripping. Taking much longer than any Pokémon naturally should, and thanking Arceus that no one was watching, Xander made it to the top.

The guest room was nice enough. It was decorated with simple floral accents and was occupied by only two pieces of furniture: a rudimentary mattress and a chair by the window. Being located at the top of the house gave it that triangulated ceiling, which personally made Xander feel a little claustrophobic. Still, he hopped up onto the bed and attempted to get comfortable. The aches in his body insisted that he sleep, but the Litten’s mind was racing from thoughts he had no time to dwell on up until now.