Chapter 1: What I’ve Become

Another day, another nine hour guard duty shift. Krem locked the bulky metal door behind him and made his way to his post. For the past month, his boss had been increasingly adamant about guarding the oh-so-mysterious portal “hidden” in the massive warehouse just outside of the biggest city on the continent.

He sat down at his post, leaning back in his seat, fiddling with the lone emergency pokeball he was to use if he found himself in a pickle. Being a Team Eclipse grunt paid decently at least, considering all he had to do was loaf around his post fifty hours a week.

Not that he could complain, anyways. This was the only job he could land, ever since he was put behind bars for debt evasion.

Actually, the criminal record probably helped him get this particular job. The boss must have thought convicted criminals would be able to thwart authorities more effectively. Krem didn’t think he really fit the bill as a seasoned conman, but here he was, guarding the boss’s biggest project yet.

There were two simple rules to the job: stay away from the portal, and crush all intruders. The first rule was easy enough. Krem didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he fell into the gaping pit at the center of the room. Dark purple and red mist swirled around the opening, reminding him of the cheri berry smoothie he had last night at McDodrio’s. The second rule hadn’t applied yet. Only he and his coworkers have entered this warehouse for the past few weeks.

There was nothing remarkable about the warehouse if one were to ignore the massive smoothie hole in the floor. The metal walls were completely gray save for the rust creeping along the edges. The shelves were packed with assorted sundries, which gathered thick layers of dust. Several cardboard boxes were stacked randomly at the edges of the room, most of which were filled with dozens of empty glass jars. Junk and debris littered the concrete floor.

Krem booted up his Rotomi Phone and sank as far into his seat as physically possible. This was gonna be another long day of Flappy Pidgey…

A loud knock on the warehouse door jolted Krem out of his slouched position. He panicked as he got to his feet, grabbing at his pokeball.

“Wh-who’s there? Don’t c-come in!” Krem yelled at the door, trembling in fear and anxiety. He could hear muffled conversation coming from the other side.

“Kah-ch. Click.” The door handle turned. Krem braced himself, clutching the pokeball for dear life. From the other side of the door emerged…

“A kid?” In front of Krem stood a boy, no older than fourteen years of age, if he were to guess. On his shoulder sat a pikachu, looking angrily at Krem. “What are you d-doing here? You lost?” Krem asked. “Wait, how did you get the keys? Only members of Team Eclipse are allowed h-here!”

“We’re here to stop your devious plans and bring your evil team to justice! I know the Palkian Portal your leader has been working on is here in this building,” the boy said with enough determination to make Krem flinch. “And about the keys, I got them from another one of you Eclipse cronies. Beat him into the dirt. I think it was the dude with the long, blonde hair? I can’t really tell, you goons all look the same to me in that horrendous outfit.” The boy gestured at Krem’s crimson red getup.

“Pika pika!” the pikachu affirmed, nodding along. Krem had to agree. He didn’t exactly look dapper in these dumb skintight overalls, but it was necessary in order to be identified by other grunts.

“W-well, you’re gonna have to get past me if you wanna get any f-further,” Krem squeaked, without a shred of confidence. If this kid had really taken down Jonah, he was a force to be reckoned with. Jonah was one of the strongest trainers among the grunts.

“Bring it on! Go Puko!” The pikachu jumped off the boy’s shoulder and landed a few feet in front of Krem, cheeks sparking dangerously.

“Go, uhh…” Krem started. He didn’t even know what pokemon was in his damn ball, since he wasn’t expecting to have to use it. He sighed softly as he threw the ball in front of him. “W-wimpod?”

A small, purple bug type materialized from the pokeball, looking bewildered and confused. It glanced around the room, then saw the relatively larger electric rodent charging at it.

“Puko, use volt tackle!” The boy yelled. The frightened wimpod quickly scurried away, past the portal, onto a shelf, and behind a pile of sundries.

“Hey! Wimpod! Get b-back here! I need you!” Krem yelled, a lump forming in his throat. If he lost here, he would lose his job. He would lose his home. He would lose the last bit of hope he had to live a comfortable life off the streets.

Krem chased after the wimpod with an angry pikachu on his tail. He dodged past several broken crates and other random junk that lay scattered on the warehouse floor, not daring to look back. He was about halfway to the wimpod’s hiding spot when he felt a searing pain strike his calves. The pikachu had caught up. Krem’s knees buckled as he fell forward… right into the inviting maw of the Palkian Portal. He screamed as he felt the sensation of free falling. Pink lights danced around his vision before all went dark.

###

Meanwhile, the boy in the warehouse and his pikachu watched, mouths agape, as the portal imploded on itself, then disappeared. Not a trace of the giant chasm in the middle of the warehouse or the pathetic grunt he was battling remained.

---

On a peaceful summer day by a calm river lay a perfectly ordinary salandit. He called himself Sachi, but to most who knew him, he was nobody. He was nothing more than a background character in this world, and he appeared in none of its stories.

Sachi didn’t mind for the most part. With the lack of company and excitement comes unmatched freedom and peace. Responsibility is an onerous chore, and not one he was ever well equipped to deal with. This lifestyle chose him, so he might as well try to embrace it.

But Sachi couldn’t help but feel like a piece of him was missing. A void of some sort, forming deep inside his conscience, was eating away at him. A void that he had tried to suppress time and time again, and that needed to be filled, somehow. A void created by everything in his short life that could have been. He could have been born female and become a powerful matriarch, carrying on his birth mother’s legacy. He could have been less of a lazy bum and joined the local guild, creating a name for himself by helping those in need. He could have excelled at his studies and become a famed researcher. He could have done more for him…

Sachi shook his head violently forcing his clouded thoughts away. Today was his graduation day. Later this year he would be an adult, and soon after he would have to find a career.

He already had a few options in mind. Some menial, less physically arduous tasks such as labeling shipments or sorting paperwork would be the best fit for someone unremarkable such as him.

Maybe he could pry his way into a research field, if he were beyond lucky. He did have a great fascination with nature, specifically wilds and vegetation, which was a little ironic given his typing. The only glaring issue with that plan is he had pretty much flunked out of every class unrelated to his passion. No reputable institute would ever accept an academic failure like him.

Sachi rested his head on a flat rock while listening to the soothing sounds of the river and the melodic chirping of wild flying types. While his peers were off celebrating with each other, he was lying alone in the warm summer grass, staring thoughtfully at the cerulean sky as it became darker and darker.

Wait. Darker? It was just half past noon. Sachi hadn’t even eaten lunch yet. And now the sky was swirling around? What the hell was happening?

A large, crimson hole abruptly materialized in the darkening skies, tearing the sky asunder almost directly above Sachi. The chirping of the wilds stopped, and pink mist filled the air. Sachi stared in horror as the air around him began to swirl, as if he were caught in a tornado. He tried to stand up but the pressure was too much for his tiny body to resist. He could only watch helplessly as he witnessed what he thought was the end of the world.

And then, just as suddenly as it came, the otherworldly disturbance dissipated. Just moments later, the hole in the sky sealed up. The unnatural mist faded away and the sounds of nature returned. The sky returned to its former shades of blue, almost as if nothing had happened.

Except for one thing. Sachi shaded his eyes with his hands and squinted at where the disturbance had occurred. Something small was falling out of the sky. Wait, was it a pokemon?

“Splash!” Before Sachi could even react, the figure landed in the river, near the bank on his side. Moments later, a wimpod floated to the top of the water, seemingly unconscious. The bug type’s spiky tail was caught in a rocky protrusion in the middle of the stream, keeping it from drifting downstream as its head bobbed up and down with the current.

“Hey there! You good?” Sachi got up and yelled at the wimpod, receiving no response. The bug was out cold. Sachi searched frantically for anything that could help get the small pokemon from out of the middle of the flowing river.

There was a chance it was a wild that got caught up in the violent winds of whatever the hell just happened, but he didn’t want to take chances. He hadn’t seen any wild wimpod around here for the past few years he’d been coming here. Besides, Sachi had a soft spot for wilds, and he wouldn’t just lie about idly as one drowned to death beside him if he could help it. Wimpod were water type, but its typing wouldn’t exactly help much if the bug were passed out. It would still drown if its head went underwater.

Sachi broke off a smooth branch from the tree he was lying under, grabbing one end. It was just about long enough to drag the wimpod to land, he thought. Sachi laid belly down on the riverbank, careful not to fall in. Not that he didn’t know how to swim. He just absolutely abhorred the prospect of getting his sensitive skin wet. He then reached his stick-holding arm out as far as possible. The other end of the stick reached the wimpod’s head. Sachi struggled with the stick, trying to pry the bug off the rock it was stuck on. The wimpod’s tail was jammed pretty deep into a rocky crevice, but he was slowly but surely making progress. Sachi pushed himself a bit further forward until half of his body was hovering precariously over the water with just one arm holding the water’s edge and tried again.

He was so engrossed in his rescue efforts that he didn’t notice the pokemon practically sprinting towards him.

“Who here needs some rescuing!” a shrill voice from behind him caught Sachi off guard. He panicked and lost grip on the riverbank, falling headfirst into the frigid waterstream. He frantically swung his arms in an effort to keep his head above the surface. When Sachi finally reoriented himself and opened his eyes, he was face to face with a skitty. A small satchel was fastened around her waist and a confident smirk plastered on her face. Sachi recognized her as one of his classmates, but that was about all he could come up with. The skitty shot a quizzical look at Sachi before returning to her smug expression.

“Looks like you need to be rescued! Do not fear, for Dela Skitty is here! The best rescuer to graduate this year!” the skitty yelled as she jumped into the water.

“What the- Hey, I’m fine! I know how to swim,” said Sachi as he demonstrated by paddling toward the riverbank. “See?”

The uppity skitty either didn’t hear him, or pretended not to. She swiftly dove into the water and swam toward Sachi at an alarming pace. Sachi cringed as the skitty rammed into his side, roughly pushing him up onto the riverbank he fell from. He shook the water off his skin as the skitty pulled herself up onto the ledge and stood beside him. The skitty shook her body too, spraying water everywhere and leaving Sachi dripping wet again.

“Another successful rescue by yours truly! No need to thank me, just doing what I do!” said the skitty, holding her head up proudly.

“I toldya I know how to swim.” Sachi replied, crossing his arms in annoyance.

“Yada yada yada, that’s what they all say, until they end up sleepin’ with the goldeen!” the skitty said cheerily. Sachi sighed. He hated pokemon interaction, especially with one as arrogant as this girl.

“Where didya even come from? Why are you even here?” This was Sachi’s personal spot for when he needed refuge from the hectic world around him. It was a place to escape from all his worries in life. No one else ever came here, save for some local wilds.

“Well, I was taking a walk after the graduation ceremony, looking for outlaws to fight and helpless pokemon like you to save. Suddenly, this huuuuuuge reddish sky hole kinda just appeared in the distance. It looked like some sort of mystery dungeon phenomenon, so I thought I’d check if there were any pokemon to rescue. Lo and behold, there you were, flailing about in the water, waiting to be saved!” Dela said excitedly. Sachi rolled his eyes as the skitty continued. “Though there doesn’t seem to be a mystery dungeon here. What was that weird sky thing anyway?”

“For the last time Dela, you didn’t ‘rescue’ me. I was fine. I can swim. I wouldn’t even have fallen into the water in the first place if ya didn’t show up screaming like a lunatic. And about the big sky hole? I have no clue. One second it was there, and the next it was gone. But on that subject, there is someone who actually needs rescuing.” Sachi gestured towards the unconscious wimpod, still bobbing in the water like a toy boat. “Poor thing fell out of the sky when everything was going down. I was trying to help it until you came along.”

“Aha! Another job for a seasoned rescuer such as I! Don’t sweat it, I’ll get it!” The skitty jumped into the water headfirst and took off.

Moments later, the wimpod was lying on the grass beside them, dripping wet like a soggy sandwich and still unconscious.

“Dela the Great Rescuer of Reystone does it again!” the skitty exclaimed. “By the way, do you know this guy?”

“Nah, never seen a wimpod in my life actually.” Sachi replied. From what he knew, this forested river housed wild magikarp, luvdisc, and the occasional buizel.

“So you’re telling me I risked my neck for a wild? Hmph. What a waste of my talent,” Dela huffed.

“You don’t know that. Wild wimpod don’t live in warm climates like here. They also only thrive in darker areas such as caves, or under massive tree canopies such as those in the jungles of southern Tekkaland. Chances are it isn’t wild.” Sachi retorted. “Besides, why didn’t ya ask that before you dove in if you care so much? Huh? Dela?”

###

By the time Sachi realized that his arrogant company had left, Dela was already out of earshot and back on the road. The skitty dropped her smug demeanor once she was sure no one could see her and sighed. She was never gonna find two more competent members to start her own team at the guild.

---

Krem had never felt so miserable before. He felt as if he was crushed by a ferrothorn. Then trampled by a copperajah. Then thrown into a trubbish compactor and squashed into a human pancake. He groaned and opened his eyes.

“Aaahgg,” he groaned. Why was it so bright? It felt as if his eyes were burning. He tried stretching his arms, but to no avail. Something was horribly wrong. His entire body felt… different.

“Hey you, you’re finally awake,” a raspy voice came from somewhere around Krem. Squinting to prevent his eyes from melting, he tried to turn his head to face the direction the voice was coming from. Once again his body failed him.

“You were trying to get some rest in the forest, huh? Got caught up in that weird red storm, just like me.” Something moved into Krem’s vision, or rather someone. A large, black lizard crawled in front of him, giving him a worried look. “Except I didn’t get blown up all the way to the clouds. Must’ve been a brutal fa-“

“AAAAHH!” Krem screamed in horror, cutting the lizard off. “Help! A giant salandit! And it speaks!”

“Woah, chill out.” The salandit stood up on two legs and put his hands out. “Giant? First time I’ve heard that one. I’m pretty small for my species.”

“I- uhh… Why are you talking?” Krem croaked, more confused than he was just a moment ago. He tried to get up, but only managed to lift himself an inch off the grassy ground. It was then that he discovered that he had eight legs. He let out a panicked gasp. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?”

“Umm, why wouldn’t I be talkin’? I’m not wild,” the lizard replied, looking just as confused as Krem. “And I didn’t do anything to you. If anyone did anything it would be that weird skitty that came and dragged ya out of the river. Maybe she hit ya across the head with that fat tail of her’s or something. Or maybe it’s just ’cause you fell like a hundred feet outta the sky.”

Something clicked in Krem’s mind. He remembered falling helplessly through a void of some sort… and nothing before that. Except his name and that his life sucked. At least he still retained basic object recognition and articulacy. He knew he definitely didn’t live in a world of giant talking pokemon. And he sure as hell didn’t have eight legs. Krem was about to have another meltdown, but stopped himself. He took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm himself down and assess the situation.

“Ok uhh, what and where am I?” he asked the salandit.

“Musta hit ya head pretty hard eh? You’re a wimpod, and you’re in Skiddo Forest, just south of Cressinger Secondary Education,” the salandit answered, sitting on the grass in front of Krem. “Name’s Sachi, if that matters. Do ya at least remember your’s?”

“Pretty sure it’s K-Krem. N-nice to meet you.” Krem tried to extend an arm, but remembered he didn’t have any.

“Alright Krem. Do you at least remember how to walk?” Sachi asked. Krem tried moving the small appendages at the bottom of his body. It was awkward, but he managed to crawl a few inches. “Good enough. Do you know where you’re from?” Krem racked his memory for anything regarding his home. Nothing.

“Uhh, definitely not here, th-that’s for sure,” he answered.

“What does that mean? Well obviously you don’t live in the forest. I’ve been coming here almost daily for the past few years and haven’t seen ya around before,” Sachi said, seemingly irked at the vagueness of Krem’s answer. “You from Cressinger? Or maybe down south in Ardenvale? Are ya a Palomerian or something?”

“I’m gonna b-be honest with you, I have no idea what or where any of those are, s-sorry,” Krem answered, sensing the salandit’s growing annoyance. Sachi just sighed and shook his head, looking away from Krem.

“Well, err, I can’t exactly leave a severe amnesiac out in the forest like this. Here, follow me. We’ll talk at my place.” The salandit began walking away from the river.

“H-hey, wait!” Krem scrambled to catch up, moving his little stubs as quickly as he could across the warm, tickling grass.

###

“So you really remember nothing other than your name and how to speak?” Sachi sat with Krem in a small yet cozy shack just outside the forest they left half an hour ago. A book was opened in front of Krem, who stared dumbly at the mysterious glyphs inscribed on it. “By Arceus, you even forgot how to read footprint runes?”

“I’m n-not sure I forgot how to read these. I’m a-actually pretty certain I’ve n-never been able to read these,” said Krem. With objects such as trees, tables, and books, he at least could remember seeing them before and knowing how they function. However, Krem was completely unfamiliar with the text that was scrawled across the pages in front of him.

The salandit rolled his eyes. They had spent the past twenty five minutes figuring out what Krem did and did not know or remember. He couldn’t remember anything from his past life other than falling into… something. He knew next to nothing about the world he landed in. And he just discovered he couldn’t even fucking read.

“Whatever, doesn’t matter. You’re hopeless. Maybe if you can dumb down your speech a bit you can pass for an oversized toddler wimpod and we could send ya to preschool or someth-” the salandit was saying until he was interrupted by a loud banging on the door. “What the hell?”

“BANG BANG BANG” the knocking continued. Krem watched anxiously as Sachi approached the door and cautiously turned the knob.

“It’s the one and only Dela Skitty, Grand Rescuer of Cressinger!” A skitty skipped into the room, knocking several books off an end table and onto the floor with her tail. A satchel was tied to her waist. Krem noticed a small piercing on her left ear in the shape of a star.

“What are you- Hey, get out of my house, now!” Sachi angrily demanded, pointing at the open door. The skitty was taken aback by the force in his words.

“Hmph, that’s no way to treat your savior, is it now?” Dela stood in the room with her head tilted upward, unmoving. Sachi looked as if he were going to burst a vein.

“Wh-Who are you?” Krem interrupted the heated interaction, peering curiously at the prideful skitty.

“None other than the mon who saved your life! You’re welcome by the way!” the skitty hollered with a smug grin plastered on her jolly face. “You were floating unconscious in the river. While your salandit friend here was flailing about, I dove into the water, as swift and elegant as a milotic, and gracefully pulled you onto the shore. You should have seen- HEY DON’T TOUCH ME!“

“Get. Out. Of. My. House.” Sachi grunted as he rammed his lean frame against the cat, attempting to push her through the door.

“Hey, I’m here to give you two the offer of a lifetime! At least hear me out first, you slimy nincompoop!” the skitty screeched. Sachi lost his angry demeanor for a second, amusement growing on his face.

“Didya just call me a nincompoop?” The salandit scoffed as he tried to stifle a laugh before returning to his previous vexed expression. “Alright. Spit it out. What’s this offer you’re on about? And no, the house is not for sale.”

“Not an offer on your dumb derelict shack, you imbecile. Much more interesting than that. How would you two like to join the guild?” Dela resumed her confident pose as the salandit that was just pushing her a moment ago staggered back in shock.

“Excuse me?” the salandit said as he regained his composure.

“You two. Me. Let’s form a team at the guild,” the skitty said while gesturing with her right front paw at Krem and Sachi, then at herself. Sachi looked almost as confused as Krem felt.

“Why the hell are ya asking us? I don’t even know you, and this guy here doesn’t know anything. What use would a ‘renowned, famous’ rescuer like yourself have for us losers?” Sachi said sarcastically. The salandit looked over at Krem, who was content just watching the whole ordeal unfold. The wimpod tried to shrug, but only managed to bob his body up and down. Dela sighed.

“Listen, I’m only asking you guys because everyone else might be too intimidated by my sheer presence to join my team. I’ll have you know I have many connections and am most definitely not asking out of desperation,” she claimed, looking a bit less sure of herself than usual.

“Ok, cool story. We decline. Exit’s that way. Bye,” Sachi replied nonchalantly, pointing at the door. The skitty finally lost her smug grin.

“W-What? You can’t decline!” Dela looked around the room frantically. Upon seeing Krem still lying (or standing?) on the bed, she tried to regain her composure and managed a weak smile. “What about you, my eight legged friend? Can’t have this grumpy oaf make all your important decisions for you. What do you say about joining the guild with me as a rescue team?”

“What’s a guild?” Krem blurted, then immediately regretted it as the skitty gasped incredulously and the salandit beside her snorted.

“Have you been living under a rock your whole life?” Dela screamed.

“He’s a severe amnesiac. Must’ve hit his bug brain pretty hard from that fall, literally remembers nothin’,” Sachi answered on Krem’s behalf. “See, we won’t be of much use to you. Just let it go already.” Dela ignored the second half of his response and turned to face Krem again.

“Well, erm, let me explain then. The guild is a massive organization where brave and wonderful pokemon, such as I, go to form teams. These teams make up all echelons of the guild hierarchy. There are rescue teams, exploration teams, spelunker teams, and staff teams. Their names are pretty self explanatory for the most part. Rescue teams rescue pokemon who are in danger, usually in mystery dungeons. They also catch dangerous outlaws. Exploration teams research and try to understand the inner workings of mystery dungeons by, well, exploring them. Spelunker teams delve deep into dungeons looking for treasure. The purpose of staff teams vary, but they all help the guild with its internal workings. Does that make sense?” the skitty explained.

“Uhhh, you kept mentioning this term ‘mystery dungeon’. Should I know w-what that is?” Krem asked. Dela sighed.

“Yes, you’re supposed to know what that is. But since you don’t, I’ll tell you. Araegis, that’s the name of the planet we’re on in case you somehow forgot that as well, is littered with large pockets of mysterious energy we call ‘antanima’. This energy transforms the landscape around it constantly, and the physical laws of the rest of the planet do not apply near it. Antanima also slowly sucks the soul out of anyone who is unfortunate enough to stay in its presence for too long without proper protection. Those that are consumed by antanima become corrupted, essentially shells of their former selves with no conscience. The pockets of antanima on this planet are called mystery dungeons. As you can imagine they are very dangerous places for most pokemon. But as long as you’re with a genius rescuer like me, you’ll be perfectly fine! As a rescue team, we will be able to travel all over the continent and discover everything this world has to offer, while fighting off evildoers and saving helpless pokemon. That’s what I do best! And we’ll be world famous! So what do you think, isn’t the answer obvious?” Dela gushed. The skitty was jumping up and down, brimming with excitement.

Krem looked at the cat incredulously as he thought about it. He didn’t really care for being world famous, and he sure as hell did not want to “fight off evildoers”, especially since he barely knew how to function in his new body. But what he did want was to learn more about himself. Maybe joining this guild thing could be an eye opening experience and bring about more of his memories. This salandit sure as hell wasn’t helping too much, and Krem had the feeling he wouldn’t exactly be fond of him staying in his house forever.

“Umm, f-fine. I’ll j-join,” he finally mustered. It was Sachi’s turn to be flabbergasted as Dela’s trademark grin returned.

“You don’t even know how to fuckin’ read and you’re gonna join the guild? She’s oversimplifying things. Being a team in the guild is not a walk in the park, y’know. They’ll kick you out if you’re a liability,” the salandit reasoned.

“Don’t listen to this fool! We won’t be a liability with me on the team!” the skitty rebutted, shooting an annoyed frown at Sachi.

“I just wanna l-learn more about myself. And my past. Maybe th-this whole guild thing will help.”

“YES! Alright wimpod, you’re in. Usually teams have at least three members, but the rules state that two is technically enough. C’mon let’s ditch this downer and-” the skitty started.

“Wait. If he’s in then I guess I’m in too,” Sachi said, to everyone’s surprise, including his own. The salandit crossed his arms. “I’m not trusting someone like you to handle an amnesiac and a rescue team at the same time. It doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Hmph, we don’t need some smartass like you on our team!” Dela began, then backtracked as she put a bit more thought into it. “But I guess having another member would be somewhat helpful. And watch the tone. You’re speaking to a future rescue extraordinaire!”

“I thought you said you already were a master rescuer,” Sachi said sardonically. The skitty pretended to ignore him.

“Well, time’s a wastin’ my teammates, let’s head to the guild to create our new rescue team! We are going to be the greatest rescue team in the entire guild in no time, thanks to the combination of my sheer expertise and my natural talent!” The skitty pranced out the door. Krem looked over at Sachi, who still had his arms crossed.

“Where are we g-going?” Krem asked.

“The guild’s in Estias City, about a two hour walk east of here I reckon,” Sachi answered. The lizard slung a small backpack over his shoulder, then followed the skitty out.

“W-wait for me!” Krem yelled as he moved his tiny wimpod legs as fast as he could, struggling to keep up with his only company in this strange new world.

---

What the hell did I just sign up for? Sachi thought to himself during the entire two hour long walk from his humble abode to Estias City. Dela had finally shut her fat mouth up for once at about fifteen minutes on the trail and had hurried ahead of him and Krem.

Thank Arceus for that. Sachi was sure he would have gone insane if he had to listen to her grating voice babble on about the guild for another minute. And now he was about to be on a fucking rescue team with this crazy cat. Why did he do this to himself?

Because you desperately want to become someone you’re not. An intrusive voice within his head caused him to shut his eyes and grab his head.

Shut up, shut up! He was perfectly content being no one. He was fine living a reclusive life at the edge of the forest with no annoying skitties or amnesiac wimpods to stress him out.

“A-are you alright, Sachi?” a timid voice came from behind him. Sachi quickly dropped his hands and turned to face the wimpod. It probably looked like he was having a migraine.

“I’m good, thanks for caring,” he muttered, only half sarcastically. Sachi found it quite amusing that the amnesiac had more social awareness than the skitty, who was supposedly about his age. How does one live on this planet for eighteen years and still act like such a child?

“Okay, you looked troubled. Just thought I’d a-ask,” Krem said, looking away awkwardly. Sachi returned his gaze to the dirt path in front of him. At least he could probably learn to get along with this bug. Krem seemed nice enough and was relatively approachable, though he was also quite wimpy looking even for a wimpod. Sachi may be quite small for his own species, but he knew how to pack a punch when needed. Battling was a subject in school, but he learned most of his fighting skills at home, competing with his twelve siblings for food. Loser didn’t even get table scraps. Combat clearly wasn’t his forte, else he wouldn’t have grown up to be so tiny.

Glad I got out of that hellhole. Sachi thought. His mother was the matriarch of his pack. Sachi was one of fourteen of her children. He had twelve brothers and one sister. As tradition for her species, his mother left her sons to fend for themselves, giving them hardly enough food until they turned the ripe age of ten. Then, they had to move out on their own. Sachi thought it was strange that the republic hadn’t outlawed such practices as child abuse.

As Sachi pondered his childhood, foul memories began to resurface. Memories of someone he had lost during those painful years. Someone who had helped him get through it all.

“Gah, stop! Not now!” Sachi clutched his head again.

“Are you sh-sure you don’t want to like, sit and r-rest for a bit?” Krem asked from behind him.

“No, no. I’m fine, I swear,” Sachi replied while rapidly shaking his head. He looked up at the path ahead of him.

The sun had not started to set yet, and it was a usually busy day in suburban Cressinger. A group of ponyta passed them by, carrying large bags of mail on their backs. A golem was out with two smaller geodude, working on the roof of a nearby dwelling. Heavenly smells wafted out the window of a bakery on the other side of the road. The lively chatter of pokemon going about their days filled the air. He could make out the silhouette of a large structure in the distance, past the long rows of houses that lined the road. Sachi took in a breath of fresh air. “Nice day out, I guess. Look there, I think we’re almost at the guild.”

“Mhm… yeah,” the wimpod responded, still looking concerned. Sachi sighed as he marched on forward, anxious of what the future had in store for him.

---

“So it is true. A Palkian Portal has appeared over the forests of Cressinger,” said a hooded quadruped figure at the center of a large, dimly candlelit room.

The room was mostly empty, save for a few glass jars containing scraps of paper stacked neatly in a corner. Massive detailed carvings of legendary and mythical pokemon covered the stone walls. On one wall, “SOLEIL’S CHOSEN” was scrawled out in large red runes over a mural of the legendary Groudon.

Five other hooded pokemon formed a circle around the speaker, their heads bowed low. Their cowls were emblazoned with a glowing scarlet patch resembling a crescent moon. One of the bowing pokemon hovered closely over the cold floor, while the other four kneeled. A short but noticeable silence filled the room, broken by the voice of the floating pokemon.

“Master Sithis, what implications does this development have regarding the Lord’s plan?” the floating figure said in a robotic voice.

The quadruped in the center lifted his head up and straightened his long, black ears. The yellow markings on his body began to glow brighter as he thought in silence.

“As we are all well aware, the portal has only previously opened at one of three hotspots, each under our heavy surveillance. This situation is an oddity. Arehibe, your vision confirms that the disturbance over Cressinger in the Reystone Republic was no mere force of nature, but rather a tampering of Palkianic energy. The Lord has not ever failed us before and would not fail us now. We must simply decipher His intentions,” the umbreon said sternly. “Amel, remind me, how long will it take for our scouts to reach Cressinger?”

“At least three more days, Master Sithis,” the tallest hooded figure replied softly. Sithis scowled. Reystone Republic was situated on Renadi Continent, an entire ocean away from Soleil. Even their best flyers would have to spend a few days in transit before arriving. There was nothing he could do until he had more information.

“Very well. We will wait for their report before proceeding. The meeting is adjourned,” Sithis said, holding a paw up. “For the sins of the unjust…”

“Must be baptized in blood and fear,” the group recited in unison. Sithis watched as one by one, his subordinates left the room.

Now alone in the dimly lit cathedral, the umbreon turned around, facing the wall. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, and began to pray.

“We, the humble pokemon of the Crimson Skies, have suffered for much too long. I beg of you, bring us the salvation you so promised. Detach our souls from this realm and smite this vile, unjust world from existence. Grant us this great solace, and we will bind ourselves to your eternal servitude. We await your grand arrival with hope and anticipation. Thank you, my Lord.”