Arrival

“Hey, are you okay? Please wake up!”

Roz raised herself into a sitting position to get a better look at whoever was talking to her. The creature in front of her looked extremely familiar. It was, without question, a Pokémon, but she couldn’t quite recognize it. It had an angular head tipped with a snout with a pair of small fangs visible. It was covered in brown scales, except for its chest, which was cream-colored. Its hands had three digits, just like hers. Then she noticed the bone strapped to its back and everything clicked–a Cubone without a helmet.

She was in a forest clearing, next to a small pond under a clear sky. The local wildlife filled the air with soft buzzing and chirping noises. She would’ve stopped to admire the area under better circumstances.

“Thank goodness! You were just lying there! I was kinda worried,” the Cubone said with a relieved smile. “What are you doing out here?”

Good question; what am I doing out here? Roz looked herself over. Everything seemed to be in order. The lights on her fingertips blinked the way they were supposed to, which earned her a wide-eyed look from the stranger. Her wrist computer was still there, but she wasn’t about to check it in front of this stranger. She tried to think back. 

That’s right, she remembered where she was supposed to be. The Elgyem pushed herself to her feet and glanced skyward. Why was she in the middle of a forest? She grimaced. That meant something had gone wrong. She resisted the urge to pull up her holotab in front of the unknown Pokémon.

“Um, hello? Are you sure you’re alright?” the stranger asked worriedly.

“My apologies, I was somewhat disoriented. I must have fallen asleep when I went out for a stroll,” Roz said.

The Cubone chuckled. “Ah, that makes sense.”

Cubone were known for always wearing bone helmets, so the fact this one wasn’t certainly stood out. Allegedly, they were their mothers’ skulls, though basic population ecology suggested otherwise. The Elgyem levitated off the ground. “My name is Roz.”

“Nice to meet ya! I’m Terry.” The Cubone extended a hand. “You from around here?” 

“Roz,” she said, shaking it. “And no, I am not.” 

Terry nodded “Didn’t think I recognized you. What brings you to Crosswind Town?”

“I…” How was she supposed to answer that? Why didn’t I think of this? She desperately thought about how to respond, but was saved the trouble by a Butterfree fluttering into the clearing. 

“Peter! Peter! Where are you? Excuse me, but have either of you seen my son?” she asked Roz and Terry.

“I haven’t, and Roz here just woke up, so I doubt she has,” Terry answered. Roz shook her head in confirmation.

She sighed. “Well, guess I’ll keep looking then. He went to play in the Tiny Woods, but I told him to be home half an hour ago. I’m getting a bit worried.”

“We’ll help!” Terry said without hesitation. Roz wasn’t sure how she felt about being volunteered like this.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to trouble you. He probably just got lost.”

“It’s no trouble really. Right, Roz?”

  It certainly was trouble, not to mention not her business. Still, it made a good excuse to put her story together, so she nodded. “Yes, let us help.”

“Thanks,” said the Butterfree. “I’m Gloria, by the way.”

“I’m Terry, and this is Roz. Let’s split up and regroup in fifteen minutes. Agreed?”

The Butterfree nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a plan. Thank you so much.”

Roz wasn’t thrilled about being on her own in an unfamiliar forest, but if she got lost, she could always float over the trees and relocate the clearing. She nodded. “Agreed.”

“You said your son’s name was Peter?” Terry asked.

“That’s right,” Gloria confirmed.

“Gotcha. We’ll find him!” Terry assured her. The three of them went into the woods in slightly different directions.

Once she was on her own, Roz started thinking about her situation. She hadn’t planned on encountering anyone, so she hadn’t bothered to invent a background. Regardless, there was something else she needed to check. Roz activated the holographic display on her wrist. Thankfully her holotab was functional. Which meant her Porygon AI was as well.

“Current location unknown. No network connections available,” it said, holographically projected above her arm.

Oh, perfect. “Can you get any signal at all?”

The Porygon shook its head. “Nope.”

Roz grumbled. “Of course. It must be out of range then. Right then, listen Porygon, you need to stay out of sight until I say otherwise.”

“Understood. Should I notify you if I pick up on anything?”

Roz considered then nodded. “Yes, but stay quiet about it.”

The Porygon flashed a thumbs up emoji and vanished.

Okay so, no signal which meant no calling for help. Since she knew nothing of the local or even not-so-local geography, coming up with any sort of plausible origin story was a tall order.

Roz rubbed her face and groaned. She wasn’t going to be able to lie her way out of this one forever. Sooner or later she was going to contradict herself or encounter some detail she couldn’t improvise her way around. There was one piece of good news at least: she was confident she’d arrived close to her intended destination. She could just wander off, but she had nowhere to go. She needed help, and that Cubone seemed like he’d probably offer it. Telling him the truth was a huge risk, but she didn’t see any other options.

Resigned to her fate, Roz decided to get a better look at her surroundings. She berated herself for not paying attention to where she was going sooner. “Peter!” she called. “Peter, are you there?” She’d never find him this way. Roz reached out with her mind, searching for any presences and sensed one nearby, in addition to the faint traces of animals in the vicinity. She wasn’t familiar enough with Terry or Gloria to be sure it wasn’t either of them, but she decided it was worth investigating. Her presence sense was far from precise, so she’d have to find whatever she was picking up on her own once she got close to it. 

“Terry? Gloria? Peter?” Roz decided to float higher off the mulchy forest floor for a better vantage point.

She heard a trembling voice call out. “H-hello?”

“Peter? Is that you?” She went toward the voice and found a Caterpie on one of the higher branches. 

“Y-yeah.”

Roz floated closer to the Caterpie. “My name is Roz. Your mother sent me to find you.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” he said with a sigh of relief. “I got lost and couldn’t find my way back.” He easily climbed down the tree and waited for Roz to lead him back. Roz realized she wasn’t entirely sure which way to go herself.

“Wait there; I will return momentarily.” Ignoring the child’s protests, she floated up above the treetops. As she’d hoped, the clearing where she’d woken up was visible once she got high enough. Committing the direction to memory, she hovered back down. “This way.”

“So, where are you from, Miss Roz?”

There was that question again. Thankfully it would be much easier to get a child off the topic than an adult. “Quite far away. Somewhere you likely have not heard of.”

“Oh, like another continent?”

“You could say that.” Peter didn’t seem too pleased with that answer, but Roz wasn’t about to go into any more detail than that. “Your mother made it sound like you come to this place often. How did you end up lost?”

Peter averted his gaze in embarrassment. “I wandered off into the woods too far and couldn’t find my way back. I tried to climb trees to get a better look, but I couldn’t get high enough.”

“Your mother allows you to play in the woods on your own?” Roz asked, raising a brow.

“As long as I don’t go too far in.” Peter squirmed slightly. 

“I see. Might I recommend you not do so again? She sounded quite worried about you.”

“Sorry.”

“I am not the one you should be apologizing to.”

By that point, they made it back to the clearing. Neither of the others had returned yet. Roz found herself wondering if they actually had a way of keeping track of the time. She wasn’t sure the fifteen minutes were up, but didn’t want to try checking her holotab with Peter around. In short order, she heard a gentle flapping sound and looked up to see Gloria descending. 

“Peter! There you are!” She picked up the Caterpie and hugged him. “Thank you so much for finding him.”

“I didn’t have any luck,” said a disappointed voice behind them. “Oh, you found him!” Terry walked out of the woods. 

“It was so cool! She just floated up to the tree branch I was on, almost like she knew exactly where to find me.” Peter was gazing at Roz admiringly. 

She rubbed her arm and averted her gaze. “I simply sensed a presence and investigated under the assumption it was you. Any Psychic-type could have done it.”

“Thanks for the help though,” said Gloria. “If you ever need anything, let me know. I live in Crosswind Town right nearby. Actually, I think I’ve seen you before, Cubone.”

“I thought you looked familiar,” Terry replied.

Roz gingerly raised her hand. “I…have a request.”

“Oh, yes?” Gloria asked.

“I…have nowhere to stay at the moment,” she admitted. “If it is not too much trouble, of course.”

“Goodness! I didn’t realize–” Gloria started.

“I can help!” Terry interjected.

Roz blinked. “I must apologize. I do not mean to be an inconvenience.”

“No, really, it’s no problem at all!” Terry insisted.

“Very well,” said Roz. “Thank you.” 

The two Bug-types thanked them again, then left, discussing what had happened and whether Peter would be allowed to come back out here again.

“That was so cool!” Terry exclaimed. “You can sense other Pokémon? Listen, Roz, I’ve…” He paused, working up the courage to continue. “I started working as a Ranger recently. I’ve been hoping to find someone else to partner up with but, well, I haven’t had much luck so far. Have you ever thought of joining? That kind of ability would be super useful!” 

Roz wasn’t sure what these “Rangers” were, but it sounded like some sort of search and rescue organization. “Terry…I appreciate the compliment, but, unless I am extremely mistaken about this group’s duties, I lack the training for that type of work. Besides, I have other things to worry about right now. This also seems rather abrupt, seeing as how we have only just met.”

Terry’s shoulders drooped. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Sorry, I got kind of excited.”

“Understandable.”

Terry started leading her out of the forest, but suddenly stopped. “Wait, I thought you were just out here on a walk. What do you mean you don’t have anywhere to stay?”

Roz froze. “It is…complicated. I would rather not bore you with the details.”

  “No, really, I want to know.”

Roz hesitated. Once she told him, there was no going back. “As you may have surmised, I was not out here for leisure. The truth is…” Suddenly, she had an idea. A crazy idea, but one that might just get her out of revealing the truth. “The truth is I do not know where I am from.”

Terry stared at her wide-eyed. “W-wait, you don’t remember?! How can you not know where you’re from?!”

There was no time to deliberate over how far she wanted to take this. “I seem to have lost my memory,” she replied.

“You don’t remember anything?!” 

Roz shook her head. “Very little, anyway. I remember my name, I remember that I am an Elgyem.” She looked down at her hand. “It seems I recall how to use my innate abilities. But everything else…is blank.” Roz winced inwardly. It wasn’t that she wanted to freak Terry out, but she couldn’t exactly tell him the truth either.

“I am not asking you to help me regain my memories, but if you are offering me somewhere to stay until I secure myself a dwelling and a source of income, I would be most appreciative.”

“No, I’ll help you,” Terry said with a clenched fist and fierce gaze. “We’ll figure out what happened and get you back home!”

“I appreciate the offer, but I cannot impose on you any more than I already am. This is not your problem.”

“Where would we be if everyone only helped when it was ‘their problem?’ What kind of Ranger would I be if I didn’t help you? Besides, with all the natural disasters happening lately you’ll need all the help you can get!”

Roz blinked. “Natural disasters?”

“Yeah. Mostly earthquakes, but other parts of the continent have had blizzards, heatwaves, flooding, you name it. And it’s not just the Air Continent; it’s happening everywhere.”

“That sounds concerning. I assume this is abnormal?” Roz asked.

“It just started happening a couple weeks ago.” 

Natural disasters? No way. There couldn’t be any connection, could there? Then again, the timing…

~~~

Terry led Roz past a number of simple cottages, most of them made of wood or brick. Their coloration was similar to that of the Pokémon that lived in them, and a few had small touches meant to invoke Pokémon appearances. One house had an peculiar brick arrangement reminiscent of the round form of a Geodude. A Swalot’s house had an unusually large door frame. An Unfeazent’s home had a pair of tassels on the roof. Crosswind Town looked disorganized compared to what Roz was used to. It likely expanded organically, rather than being planned out in advance.

Terry tried to exchange friendly greetings with every Pokémon they encountered. Some returned his waves and smiles while others simply nodded or avoided his gaze altogether. Eventually, they arrived. Terry’s house was the same brown color as his scales, with a lighter-colored patch on the front. It bore a white chimney on the side that widened along one axis near the top, invoking the bone its owner carried.

“Here we are,” Terry announced. “It’s not much, but it’s home.” The inside was quite small. There was a main room divided into a living area, a kitchen, and a sleeping area, and a separate room that Roz assumed was the bathroom. The place seemed bare to Roz, but she supposed photographs, holovisions, and computers didn’t exist here.

The living area held a few chairs that between them would accommodate a variety of body types. They were situated in such a way as to avoid having sunlight from the window shining directly in anyone’s face. There was a fireplace on one wall, close to a simple cot. The cupboards in the kitchen were all close to the ground to ensure they’d be within Terry’s reach. There was no sign of a stove; perhaps Terry used the fireplace for cooking?

“Thank you,” said Roz. “I will not stay here longer than I must.”

“There’s no rush,” Terry assured her. “Stay as long as you need.”

“That is very generous of you,” said Roz.

“No problem,” Terry replied with a grin.

“Is there anywhere in particular you would like me to sleep?”

“Not really. Anywhere you can find room is fine.”

Roz floated over to one of the seats and sat down. “You know, for someone who doesn’t remember anything, you’re taking this awfully well,” Terry observed.

“Panicking will not help. I am certain my memories will return eventually.” 

“I sure hope so,” Terry said doubtfully. “Hey, what’s that?” he asked, pointing at her wrist.

“This?” said Roz, raising her holotab emitter. It was a small black device strapped around her wrist. Upon activation through a combination of touch and her natural bio-energy, it would employ a modified form of Light Screen to generate a hologram, which also served as its user interface. It used that same bio-energy as a power source, so by the time Roz had to worry about it dying she’d have much bigger problems to deal with.

“Yeah. Could that be a clue?”

Roz pretended to study it. “It does not seem familiar,” she lied. 

Terry held out his hand. “Do you mind if I look at it? Maybe I’ll recognize something.”

Roz pretended to try removing the bracelet, but failed as it was grafted to her arm. “It does not seem that I can remove it.”

“What?” Terry took a closer look. Roz wasn’t too worried; he wouldn’t be able to activate it. He tugged on it experimentally and even tried poking it a bit. “This has to be important!”

“Listen, Terry…this is not your problem.”

“And I told you, I’m going to help anyway,” Terry insisted.

Roz sighed. Where was help like this for her actual problems? “Terry, listen to me. I have no idea what happened to make me forget everything, but I repeat, this is not your concern. I am certain you have your own business to attend to. There is no need to waste your time on me.”

“Roz, you don’t even know who you are. You need all the help you can get right now. If I’m not going to be the one to help you, who is? Because you can’t do this alone.” The Cubone’s resolute stare wavered. He didn’t want to help, he needed to help. 

Well, I always have wanted to see this place. Perhaps there was a way to turn this to her advantage. Roz sighed. “If you are so insistent on assisting me, there may be one way you can help.”

“Name it!” Terry perked up instantly. 

“If I’ve forgotten everything, logically more information about thi- about the world may help me remember.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. What d’ya wanna know?” The offer was helpful, but if Roz was going to gather information she wanted to be able to record it on her holotab, something she decidedly did not want Terry or anyone else seeing.

“Do you have a library. I would prefer to have all the information I need in one place.” Not to mention allowing her to access her holotab without witnesses. How was she not annoying enough to get him to give up yet?

Terry tilted his head. “But if you don’t remember anything you’d only need basic information to trigger your memory, right? I can help with that.” 

Roz couldn’t think of a counterargument. “I suppose that is true. Perhaps you can start by telling me about those natural disasters you mentioned earlier? Does anyone have any idea what’s causing them?”

The Cubone raised a brow. “Do you think they might have some connection to what happened to you?” 

Quite possibly. “I do not know. But my situation is highly unusual, so examining other abnormal events seems a reasonable starting point.”

“I…guess that makes sense. No, we don’t know what’s causing them. That’s actually the Rangers’ top priority right now. Well, second to rescuing Pokémon affected by them I suppose. They started so recently there hasn’t been time to figure out what’s going on yet.”

“You said this started a few weeks ago, correct?” Terry nodded. It was difficult to be certain, but Roz was pretty sure the timing matched up. The disasters themselves however, did not. There were no reports of Subject 386 causing environmental instability. Still…

“Terry, is that offer to join the Rangers still valid?”

The Cubone’s face lit up. “Wait. You’re reconsidering?”

“Something about these disasters feels significant, but I cannot tell exactly what. My intuition tells me they are connected to me in some way. I believe that researching their cause may be the key to helping me remember.”

~~~

Terry opened his cupboard and revealed more empty space than Roz found comfortable. Should she say something? Maybe he just hadn’t been to the store recently. If she didn’t speak up now though, things might get worse. “Terry…are you certain it is okay for me to stay here?”

Terry gave her a worried look. “What’s wrong?”

“Maybe it’s nothing but…do you have enough food for both of us?”

Terry tilted his head in confusion, then looked back toward the cupboard. “Oh, this? Don’t worry about it, we’ll be fine!”

“Very well,” Roz replied after a brief pause.

“I’ve got dried crickets and chestnuts; does that sound okay?” Roz nodded. Terry pulled some items out, and the two sat down in the living room area to eat. Chestnuts looked to be some sort of dry fruit with a spiked outer shell. Roz wasn’t sure how to eat it until Terry showed her how to peel it. The other item Terry referred to was a small animal of some sort. It had a stiff exoskeleton and was pleasantly crunchy.

“You’re amnesia’s kinda weird,” Terry remarked after they finished eating. He gathered the chestnut shells and went to throw them outside. It didn’t look like the most efficient method of waste disposal. Then again, since everything was biodegradable, Roz doubted it would cause any harm.

“It certainly is.”

“I don’t just mean the fact that you have it; it’s what it’s making you forget.” He threw the shell pieces outside and closed the door. “You remember what a Pokémon is, what types are, what type you are, how to use your abilities. But you’ve forgotten about Rangers, the natural disasters; heck I don’t think you even knew what a chestnut is. You don’t seem to recognize the area, but given how random your memory loss seems to be that doesn’t tell us anything.”

Roz floated up from her seat. Was this it? Was Terry about to put the pieces together?

“I don’t know how it would be connected to the natural disasters, but maybe you’re right and researching them with the Rangers’ll help. Anyway, I’m getting pretty tired. I’m sure it’s been an even longer day for you. I’m going to bed. See you in the morning!”

Roz released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Sleep well,” she replied. Despite what he’d said earlier about Roz sleeping wherever she wanted, Terry insisted she take his cot while he slept on the floor with some blankets. Roz was reluctant, but Terry wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

 The Elgyem lay awake, listening to Terry’’s breathing. When she thought he was asleep, she silently floated off the cot, out the door, and onto Terry’s roof. She cast her presence sense out and was confident everyone nearby was in their house. She called up her holotab and recorded the day’s events in her journal.

As she typed on the holographic keyboard floating in front of her, Roz considered her situation. She’d never planned on interacting with anyone at all. The fact that she’d had to, and that she’d been forced to invent her story about memory loss meant that something had gone awry. Was it her quarry? 

Resigning herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to figure out exactly what was going on tonight, Roz went back inside. The moonlight was enough for her to see Terry’s silhouette on the floor. He looked like he was struggling to find a comfortable position. She was grateful for his willingness to help, but concerned by it as well. He’d been so quick to insist on being the one to help everyone who looked like they needed it.

Roz had to remind herself that it was essential he did not know where she was from. She still had to figure out how to get back, but there were other matters to attend to first. One thing at a time. 

~~~

Specter searched the wreckage, baffled by what he saw. There were packages of dried food sealed in plastic, and what looked like computer terminals. It was dark, even for him, but he saw what he thought looked like electric lights. What the heck was this place? It reminded him of so much, but mostly the abandoned facilities the humans had built, and its condition was just as bad. The hallways and doorways were crushed and twisted, blocked by parts of the walls that had fallen out, and some panels here and there were sparking. He couldn’t get anywhere without phasing through obstacles. As fascinating as the place was, it was too damaged to glean anything else from. Still, a sense of nostalgia washed over him just being here. The Gengar phased through the wall and emerged back in the moonlit canyon where Cody and Stella were waiting. 

“Find anything interesting?” asked Cody.

“Oh I found plenty of interesting things, but I got no idea what any of it is.” 

The mysterious structure looked like it fell from the rust-red cliff above and crashed into the opposite wall. Pieces of metal were scattered all over the canyon floor. There was a huge dent on one side of the object where something big had slammed into it. On top of that, the whole thing was compressed from impacting the ground. There was something that looked like it was probably supposed to be a door, but with the surface so heavily mutilated there was no hope of opening it, hence Specter getting in by phasing through the wall. It wasn’t particularly large, only slightly bigger than the average cottage, but it was clearly designed to move. 

“I have to wonder what it is though. How’d it get in the sky?” mused Stella. The team had spotted something falling from the sky while passing through the Great Southern Desert. It looked like it landed somewhere in the Great Canyon and, sure enough, upon searching they came across the wreckage.

A winged figure watched the trio from a clifftop. His visions of the future were never clear, but this object was a portent of significant changes to come. Time would tell if those changes were for better or worse.

A second figure watched from the shadows on the ground, unnoticed. Who had been in that thing? Were there any survivors, and if so, where? The moonlight briefly caught its green, hexagonal eye, and it loped off on all fours before anyone noticed.