The next day, having arrived at Hedgetown by train, I head from the train station to Megan’s lab. Standing at the front of the lab is Megan Cinos herself.
“Hey James! Glad you made it here. Still have them?”
“Sure do, Megan.”
The three begin hovering out of my backpack, that is before presumably they see Megan.
“Aw, don’t be shy. It’s just my teacher.”
“Hmm... James? Can I take a look at your glossary?”
“Sure.”
I pull the glossary out of my toolbelt and hand it to Megan, who proceeds to walk around me.
Unnamed anicom... all that is known is her ability of flight, shapeshifting and telekinesis.
“So they’re morpher? Most morpher know how to fly and shapeshift. These guys also have the physical trademarks of them. Only thing that puts me in doubt of that conclusion is the glossary including levitation. Almost no anicom have that ability, most notable exception being yunico.”
“So where’re they from?”
“Well James, I hear derivatives of backride live all over the world. Only ones I know for sure about though are yaks, camels and zebras.”
“So species similar to yaco, camo and zibo.”
“Pretty much. Research has been a bit slow these days, but luckily we’ll be given all the answers we need with the translator.”
“Yeah, you shot me a text about that when I was at Emerald City. I’ve been looking forward to testing that out since last night!”
-=-
In Megan’s lab, we stop upstairs in front of the computer. On top of Megan’s seat is a pair of headphones linked to what looks like a radio. She picks it up to show me in detail.
“Alright. This thing is what I was talking about. It’s a device that will help you understand what your anicom are saying. I took the shell of a radio and put interceptors in it to warp the close range soundwaves it records specifically for us humans to understand.”
“Whoa. Megan, this is awesome!”
“Last night, I tested it out on my domosa. It sure snarked a storm. It was probably trying to sleep.”
I giggle in thought of furlove needing their beauty sleep.
“Well, you know what they say. Furlove love-love-love their sleep.”
Briefly, chattering ensues before Megan continues.
“Alright. So, James, wanna give it a test run?”
“Sure.”
I take out Indigo’s sealer and open it, and in front of me appears the majestic aerofeline. I take the translator from Megan and put it on.
“Hey, Indie.”
Hey, what’s that on your head, Jim?
“Wait a minute. This really works?”
Um, what works?
“The translator. And-”
I gasp at the thought of actually talking to Indigo, and she’s almost like how I imagined it.
“It works. I can understand you now.”
Hm. I guess so. And probably your changelings too.
Changelings? What?
Mat? Alo? Arada?
Yes? three voices ask behind me.
I turn around and see that the three creatures are hovering in front of me.
So it looks like Jim here can actually talk to us now.
ALL of us? one of them asks.
Well, he managed to understand me, so I don’t see much of a leap of logic in him understanding you.
The leader of the three points to my translator?
What’s that?
“Oh this thing? It’s what I’ll be using to be able to talk to you. That’s what it is.”
Whoa... this sounds extremely useful. I wonder what Queen Areola would think if we brought her here to see this.
“Probably how you just reacted. So, anything before we go, Megan?”
“Not much. Although, you’ll have to be at a certain distance to be able to communicate with most anicom.”
“That’ll be fine with me. So where to now?”
“Well, James, I think now is a good time as any to go to Aquatown. It’s two cities west of here, so the shortest way there should be Route Eight.”
“Ah, so I just go straight when I get to Green City instead of turning right.”
“Bright as always, kid.”
“Alright. I’ll call when I arrive there, okay?”
“Sure thing, James.”
-=-
As I approach Route One and head out of Hedgetown, I begin looking around to see if anyone’s coming in or out of the beachtown. When I find I’m the only one heading onto Route One, even traveling in there at all according to my sight, I sit down and yank on the right strap of my backpack, which prompts the three... changelings, according to Indigo, to come out.
“So... changelings, right?”
The leader nods.
Yep. We’re changelings. As you can tell, we told your raven, or whatever her species is called.
I chuckle a bit.
“It’s okay. I’m sure Indie is fine with it. You’re supposedly new here, so there should be some slack to be cut.”
Huh, thanks... uh…
“James. From how Indie interacted with you back at the lab, she may’ve called me Jim in front of me, kind of like I call her Indie instead of Indigo.”
One question though. What was that egg-shape thing again?
“It’s a sealer. Why do you ask?”
Well, I’ve been trying to get Alo and Arada to try it out, but they wouldn’t listen.
“Really? Are they that scared of it?”
Mat nods.
Well, I really don’t mind it. Very comfy in there.
“Well, Mat? I’ll have them try it out for themselves.”
I take two of the empty sealers from my toolbelt and set them on the ground beside me, prompting Alo and Arada to head back to my bookbag. Mat sighs.
Alo, Arada, you’re going into those sealers.
Suddenly, the other two begin floating out of the bag with their wings locked in place. Both seem to be glowing a very light lime green. When the two land, the glowing stops.
This is gonna feel wrong on so many levels!
The closer changeling reluctantly presses the button that opens the sealer in front of... her... the sealer closing having found its anicom. The other changeling scurries into the bushes.
ARO, NORAT RIZAR UHEDE!!! Mat calls out.
So, the one who entered the sealer is Arada? Mat clearly called out to Alo.
NI!!! Alo calls back.
I take the sealer that Arada got in, the other starting to glow a shade similar to Alo and Arada from earlier as it starts floating off the ground.
Mat gets on her hind legs, puts the sealer on her right hoof and throws it into the bushes. Landing, it makes the noise it usually makes when it captures anicom, and successfully too.
I guess it's as good of a time as any to go to the bush where the sealer is.