Chapter 1: A Hiro’s Beginning

Chapter One: A Hiro’s Beginning

The human snapped his eyes open with a gasp, quickly sitting up only to be struck back down by a splitting headache. He clutched his temples and tried to raise his body again, more slowly, but quickly collapsed. He groaned and held his eyes shut as he curled up on the ground. It was hard to even focus on just breathing. His whole body ached, as if he’d woken up a morning after swimming the length of the ocean floor.

A few minutes passed without incident. In that time, he regained enough strength to open his eyes again and take in his surroundings. Tall evergreen swayed gently with the winds, their branches spread out and huddling together. The clear blue of a daytime sky filtered sunlight through gaps in the foliage, dotting the ground with bright splotches. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. The earthy smell of the ground helped soothe his mind enough for stray thoughts to start trickling in. Where was he? Why did his face feel damp? Was he crying? Tears had pooled in his eyes, streaming down his face as he laid there motionless.

He raised his hand to wipe his face, but his mind skidded to a halt the moment a white paw slid into view. He jerked back, sending leaves scattering as he tried to crawl away. His heart pounded in fear of the beast about to maul him, but there was nothing but trees and sparse shrubs as far as he could see. Had he imagined things?

He lowered his eyes, but he felt a sinking chill over his heart before he could even sigh in relief. Dark fur covered every inch of his body. The claw he thought belonged to some vicious beast was his. The human clenched and unclenched his paw over and over, his eyes shaking as if the thing would go away if he stared at it hard enough. Yet, it remained. A fresh stream of tears dripped down his face. The human, if he could still call himself that, shook his head slowly and his lips quivered.

He wanted to scream. All of this made absolutely no sense in the slightest. What happened to him? He tried to think back to the last thing he remembered— and then his train of thought collapsed like a house of cards. No matter how hard he tried to peer into his memories, a void so profoundly empty fogged his mind. His fur stood on end and his breathing grew erratic as panic took further hold of him.

The human knelt and beat his head on the ground, clenching a fistful of leaves as his claws dug into dirt. Why couldn’t he remember anything? He clasped his head, wincing as his claws prickled into his dense fur. Th-This couldn’t be right. There… there had to be something he could remember. He faced the fog in his mind, mentally ripping through the nothingness in desperation. Even as his head burned more fiercely and a dizzying nausea churned his stomach, he refused to relent. A single glimmer appeared at last. It was so faint and distant that he would’ve easily missed it. He gritted his teeth and reached for it through the fog, as a faded memory crossed his mind.

I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…

We failed, and it’s all… it’s all…

Yes, you’re right. There’s still hope.

This might be the only way…

Hiro… when you wake up… you must find me.

The human fell onto his side and gasped for air. His head throbbed more painfully than ever before, and he felt ready to throw up whatever meager contents of his stomach he might have had. What was that memory? He could only hear a voice, but he already yearned for the comforting familiarity it carried. He had no idea what the person was talking about or who they were. Maybe they were a friend of his? A faint smile found its way to his lips at that possibility. It wasn’t much, but now he had more than a purely blank slate to work with. Also…

“Hiro… is that my name?” Though hoarse, Hiro’s voice still sounded soft and somewhat high pitched. A part of him somehow knew he should’ve sounded different. Though like everything else about his real identity, he had no real way of knowing. Soon he closed his eyes, and immediately went out cold.

[Hr] [/hr]

Peach clouds, dyed from the late noon sun, drifted across the sky by the time Hiro woke up. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, flinching when fur brushed his face. Right, he’d turned into some kind of creature. His heart quivered and he took steady breaths to quell it.

Hiro decided to get moving before evening approached. His headache had abated a bit during his brief sleep, but now he felt terribly parched. Maybe he could find a vast lake nearby, or a gentle stream. Perhaps even a gushing river snaking through the forest somewhere. Only problem was that he couldn’t tell up from down from where he sat. The nearest body of water could be days’ worth of travel for all he knew. If fate smiled upon him, he might stumble upon one and sate his thirst before exhaustion wore him down, or a hungry beast picked him off as an easy meal. He gulped at just the thought of such awful scenarios.

Hiro pushed himself to his feet and sighed in relief. He could stand up without problem, but could he walk in his new body? In trying to take a step, his leg kicked forward with far more strength than expected. He yowled and screwed his eyes shut, anticipating to pitch face-first to the ground. Nothing happened. Surprised, He peeked an eye open and found himself crouched forward with his foot planted in the ground. The other one had dug claws halfway into soil to prop him up, leaving Hiro in an awkward half-running pose.

It was then that the fan of feathers glued to his rump introduced themselves. Hiro glanced over his shoulder to get a better look at them as he fixed his posture. Did the feathers aid his balance? It sure felt that way, as they’d tilt and flick each time he looked like he was about to faceplant to the ground. He had another one on his head too for some reason. A swarm of questions flooded his head over how he as a furred creature would have feathers at all, but he silenced his mind after failing to come to any conclusions. He decided not to question how his strange new body worked until later, sometime when he wasn’t worried about basic sustenance and his own life and limb.

Hiro took baby steps around the clearing to get himself used to walking. A few minutes passed before he could make it all the way from one end to the other without wobbling like a slinky toy. He smiled at his progress, a tinge of wonder twinkling in his eyes. Now he could get moving along in earnest. His ears skimmed the surrounding sounds to pick a direction to follow when he heard faint sounds of flowing water coming towards his left and walked deeper into the forest.

[hr] [/hr]

Fate smiled upon Hiro after all. A river happened to be a few minutes’ walk away from where he’d woken up. He approached nervously and caught a glimpse of a pair of deer-like creatures-that curiously had pink fur coats-drinking from the river bank. He’d barely taken a step on a patch of dirt when a twig snapped beneath his foot with an audible crack. The deer-like creatures seemed to hear it, as they sprang up in alarm and scurried back into the cover of forest. Hiro pursed his lips in a frown. He wished he’d gotten a better look at them; what in the world were they? Thankfully, his disappointment proved short lived, as he made his way to a calm tributary to quench his thirst.

Hiro dipped his paws in to cup some of the water at first, and it all but drained through his claws. Clearly his paws weren’t intended to be used as makeshift bowls. Sighing – and without any brighter ideas – he leaned forward and dipped his muzzle into the water to drink.

Fresh cold water bathed Hiro’s throat like rainfall after a long drought, invigorating his very soul. He took gulp after gulp till he had his fill, then pulled his face back with a satisfied sigh. That was the first drink he’d had as far as he could remember. For all he knew, it was the first drink he’d ever had in this body. Hiro lowered his eyes, staring despondently along with the flowing currents for some time.

He looked around and found a calm pool nestled between the rocks along the riverbank downstream. He made his way over, and found that the surface was still enough to reflect objects in it, including his own face. A face looking like a cross between a cat and a weasel stared back at him, adorned with a yellow gem in his forehead. He… he looked kind of cute? The moment he made eye contact with his reflection, the name ‘Sneasel’ sprung to his mind without prompt as if his mind had picked it out from a glossary list in its deepest recesses. Hiro shook his head with a sigh.

First, he lost all his memories, and now he knew things he couldn’t possibly have. Hiro squished his cheeks in his palms and growled in frustration. He wrapped his arms around his legs and tapped his knee frantically. There were silver linings to his situation. Sneasel was a Pokemon…

That word popped into his mind out of nowhere too, and it gave him goosebumps. He clenched a fist and exhaled a huff. The pink deer from earlier must’ve been Pokemon too. He didn’t know their species however. Could he only identify a Pokemon’s species if he could see their face? Hiro wondered if the person, or thing, that brought him to this strange world gave him the cognitive ability as a gift. Who knew? Maybe he had other gifts he didn’t know about yet to discover too.

Hiro’s heart drummed at whatever implications might come of that. He shook away the distracting thoughts and brought his mind back to his current situation. Before anything else, he needed to find some form of shelter. A place to find food as well. If his claws and fuzzy feline frame were anything to go by, it would likely be in the form of meat. Of course, he had no idea how to hunt in his current state either. If there had been a school of fish swimming in the river then perhaps an outdoor roast would’ve been on the menu… assuming he had some way of starting a fire. However, all he could find in the water were rocks and green algae draping their sides. He… wasn’t desperate enough to find out what the latter tasted like. Not yet, at least.

Food would have to wait. A dead leaf snapped off a branch overhead and drifted to the water’s surface, waiting for no one as it floated downriver. Hiro squinted his eyes and thought. Where there was a body of water, there were bound to be people living by it at some point. Without further deliberation, Hiro got up and, followed the river’s course. With luck, perhaps he’d stumble upon a village or something.

[hr] [/hr]

Hiro’s paw found an easy grip on a mossy boulder, letting him hoist himself over. He hadn’t expected the riverbank to leave a carpet of rocks in his path. The draining exercise left a growing hunger to gnaw at his stomach, which made him groan and sit down for a quick break. The river beside him poured tirelessly on its downstream course, though the forest was already quieting down for slumber. Orange streaks dyed the clouds as evening cast a dark shade from the other horizon. He couldn’t even sense much life loitering about him anymore. There was just him and the river.

Hiro sighed wearily, and considered camping out for the night when his stomach growled in protest. He sighed again and slid down the rock. A smooth pebble by his foot caught his eye, and he picked it up to feel its surface. Hiro considered tossing it into the water, but he squinted and pinched his brow in annoyance. There were better times to be distracted. He still had some time before the sun dipped behind the horizon, and he wanted to keep moving till then. At least that was the plan until he heard beeps coming from the trees.

Hiro’s fur stood on end and he stiffened up. He sprang back to his feet and resumed marching along the river, afraid of even looking back to see what was following him. The beeps only drew closer the longer he walked. Someone, or something, was surely stalking him, and they weren’t doing a good job at hiding it. Was it a bandit? A hungry beast? He didn’t know which of the two he’d rather try his luck with. Hiro clenched his fists and took a sharp turnaround.

“Hey! I know you’re following me! Come out and show yourself! It’ll save you the trouble, won’t it?” Hiro yelled, swinging his outstretched claws out to look as threatening as he could. Frigid blood rushed through his veins, and he tried his best to hide his trembling as he waited for his stalkers to reveal themselves.

A silent breeze swept leaves off the ground, then three cone headed figures emerged from the shadows of the forest. Hiro cast a careful gaze on his guests, memorizing every detail he could about them. Their appearance struck him as otherworldly, yet familiar. Though like before, nothing concrete reached his mind aside from the word: ‘Beheeyem’.

Their ovoid eyes stared him down. He didn’t know how he was sensing it, but the chill of malice radiated off them like a rotting stench. A cold shiver went up the full length of Hiro’s spine. He took a step back without thinking, only stopping to breathe when a puddle splashed beneath his foot. They absolutely weren’t giving him a good first impression! Behind him was the churning river and ahead of him stood the trio. Hiro would have to go through them to reach the forest. They’d backed him against a wall, and he quietly cursed under his breath at that realization.

“Who on earth are you guys?” Hiro asked, a deep growl rumbling in his throat.

His question was answered with twitching and flickering lights from the Beheeyem’s colorful fingers. Hiro squinted his eyes. “I really don’t understand what you’re… saying.”

Again, no response. A suffocating silence took hold of the forest floor as the trio of foreign pokemon remained in place, their eyes fixed on Hiro like they’d just discovered a curious specimen. He tightened his left paw around its pebble and returned a sharp glare, not so much as stopping to blink. Time drew to a lull during the brief staring game. The gushing river was all that broke the deafening silence. Everything about them was so unnerving that Hiro just wanted to make a break for it.

As it turned out, he didn’t need to wait long for them to break end the stand off. The Beheeyem on the left outstretched its arm with sparks dancing at its fingertips. Hiro swiped his paw with all his might and flung the pebble through the air like a missile to its target. It struck the Beheeyem with a loud thunk right above its eye. The Beheeyem erupted in a loud screech, before a misfired sizzling bolt burst from its hand. Hiro’s body reacted before his mind did. His tail fanned to the side and he sprung out of harm’s way just in time for the attack to zip past him, lightning bolts snapping at the water’s edge when it crashed into the river.

Hiro’s shock at the lightshow lasted only a moment. He shot forward at the other two, claws outstretched as he ran with reckless abandon. The Beheeyem zipped out of the way to avoid Hiro’s mindless claw swipes.

Another standoff played out. The felled Beheeyem hovered off the ground and snapped its head upright, a motion that made Hiro’s stomach squirm. Tension choked the air as the Beheeyem eyed Hiro cautiously, and his feather flicked at every sound from the woods behind him.

Hiro took a sharp turn and bolted for the forest. Just as he reached the shade of tree cover, a bright light lit up the right side of his vision and a searing pain cleaved through his hip. Hiro cringed in pain and clutched tightly at the fresh wound. He bit his lips to force back a scream, eyes narrowing to slits as he gazed back at the Beheeyem. The eyes on that same Beheeyem that got up carried a dimming glow. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. Despite it all, Hiro pushed himself as hard as he could and pressed onward.

Ear piercing beeps resounded from behind, letting him know the Beheeyem were still giving chase, and kept his feet firmly running. Rows upon rows of towering trees whisked past Hiro’s vision, seeming to shift out of his path. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? He didn’t dwell on it. There was a better time to stop and wonder about it.

After sprinting for some time, Hiro pressed his back against a tree to catch his breath. He glanced at the paw held firmly to his hip and found it red with blood. In the dim twilight, it looked just as dark as the rest of his fur. The pain from the wound hadn’t sunk in yet thanks to the adrenaline pumping through his blood. Even so, he had to squeeze his eyes shut as tears threatened to force their way out. A cold feeling slithered into his heart and his whole body wouldn’t stop trembling.

Beep

Hiro straightened his back right away. The Beheeyem caught up to him already? He surely thought he’d run far enough to lose them and yet… He peeked off the side of the tree and caught one of them hovering just off in the distance. They casted surveying glances around the forest floor. Maybe they hadn’t found him yet. Even so, the Beheeyem was slowly nearing the tree he used as cover. It’d only be a matter of time before it discovered him if he just stayed put.

Hiro looked down and spotted a sturdy fallen branch at his feet, and he quickly picked it up in his claws. He bit his lip and waited, dying the end of the stick in blood as he gripped hard on it. His ears trembled and twitched, keeping surveillant for the beeps. They grew louder, and closer. Then, Hiro leapt out of cover and swung the branch down with all his might. The branch fell like an anvil, but froze in the air inches from the Beheeyem’s face.

Hiro widened his eyes. A bluish glow surrounded the branch, and it matched the shimmer in the Beheeyem’s eyes. The Sneasel tried to break his weapon free even as his wounded hip burned with agonizing pain. His eyes quivered, but he gnashed his teeth to fight back the foreboding cold spreading to his chest.

The Beheeyem tilted their head, as if curious about their pitifully struggling prey. They flexed a finger and the branch was sent flying, carrying Hiro along with it. The Sneasel yowled as he pinwheeled through the air and crashed into a tree.

Hiro crumpled to the ground. As he frantically tried to push himself to his feet and run. His head suddenly grew dizzy. Though he’d managed to stand back up, he fell like a dropped needle and sent leaves fluttering about. Hiro struggled to move, and he could feel a seeping warmth dampening his waist. Had he lost too much blood? If only he’d come up with something better than the gamble he pulled earlier. He struggled to keep his eyes open, staring blankly at the trees that danced and blurred in his vision.

Just nearby, he could feel someone approaching. The Beheeyem most likely. Who else would still be making those beeps? A low growl rumbled in his throat, but he didn’t even have the strength to glare daggers at his pursuers.

Hiro’s heart grew heavy and he failed to suppress his whimpers. Just like that, he’d woken up in a bizarre world and already he was about to die without so much as being told why. His consciousness slowly slipped away, he didn’t know if he’d ever wake up again. Perhaps fate had never smiled on him to begin with if this was the sort of cruel ending he’d meet. Just before the world faded to black, a bright yellow light lit up his eyes.

“Help has arrived!” a booming voice yelled, followed by another flashing light and the crack of something being struck down by thunder. Hiro couldn’t make sense of what was going on. Had someone come to save him? Why? He felt a warm tap on his shoulder.

“Rest…,” said a second voice. It was wispy – almost ethereal.

Hiro closed his eyes and moaned. It was all too much, and so very confusing. It didn’t concern him anymore though. He drew a long breath, exhaled, and the world grew silent…