//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Like Night and Day // by DuqFedora //------------------------------// “The best puzzles are the one where the answers are in plain sight, but you and your brain don’t even consider them as answers since they were so easy to find.” ----- I sighed as I opened my eyes, the sound of a busy street ringing through my ears. I missed the time when I was able to get a good night of sleep, only to wake with the beautiful sight of my trainer looking at me with her constant smile. However, the night I just had was the best night of sleep I had in days. No nightmares or memories invaded me and I was able to regain some energy for the day to come. Plus, the bed I was on was surprisingly comfortable. Who knew leaves and branches were this good for such a purpose. I looked around and remembered where I was. I was still in the Zebstrika village and I had to deliver the medicine to Espeon. I sighed, wondering for a second why I was helping her, but I quickly remembered that the god of dreams herself visited me about her. I rose up and stretched my tired limbs. I quickly realised that these past few days might have been too much action for such a lazy Pokemon, but it was part of the job. I sure hope that, in the end, helping that Espeon will be beneficial for me. It is getting in the way of my search for Neige. “Tenebre, are you aware?” The tree I was sleeping on asked. I was startled by it before my mind told me that it was the professor that saved me a long time ago. I slowly and carefully made my way down his body, doing my best to not fall. Naturally, I fell backward, hitting the back of my head on a rock. “Arg, why me?” I simply asked to no one. I knew that this new bruise would soon give me a major headache, something that I am sure will not be fun. I stood back up and sighed. “Are you alright, Mr. Tenebre?” A Zebstrika that sneaked up on both of us asked. I quickly turned around and saw that it was only Kudla. She looked less tired that yesterday, since it’s not around midnight. In her mane was a cute flower and she held a basket filled with various flowers in her mouth. “Y-Yeah. Just a small bump on my head. No worries.” I explained, forgetting that I was a Pokemon speaking to another race that doesn’t even speak the same language as I. “Oh, I forgot, you don’t understand us.” When I said, this, however, she shook her head. “I can hear everything you say. Miss Idube gave me one of her Pokemon talking potions so that I can bring you to her. Your order is ready.” She quickly explained. When I heard that my ‘quest’ was finally over, I nodded and told her to lead us. “Greetings citizens of Equus, both old and new.” I stopped dead in my track, as did Kudla and Sycamore. I was wondering if that head injury really was that important, but seeing that I wasn’t the only one that reacted to the mental message, I stopped questioning my sanity. “I am Lord Arceus, creator of the Pokémon realm.” That name mysteriously rang a bell in my head. Either from bedtime stories Neige told me when I was young or books I read when I was bored, I knew that this Pokemon was something straight out of legends. Since he just said that he was the creator of our realm, I guess that those stories weren’t farfetched after all. “You have no reason to fear me, I come in peace. I have revealed myself to inform you that I am the one responsible for the Pokémon’s presence in this world, for the citizens of Equus, the Pokémon are the beings who have appeared over the past few days.” Well then. That wasn’t the way I expected to get answers. What happened to the good old ‘ask question to important Pokemon’? Is the new generation so lazy you have to give them the answers before they even consider asking the question? While listening to what our great god had to say, I looked around to see how others were reacting to this sudden life interruption. Some citizen were shocked and others were scared, Kudla was looking around her, surely trying to find the source of this mysterious voice. Sycamore was… well… as stoic as his new body can be. Either he had great control over his emotions when he was a human or his body wasn’t prone to express reactions. “I have my reasons for bringing them here, and to the leaders I will reveal them in time, but for now a warning, the Pokémon, while some may not seem it, are just as intelligent as any race who calls Equus home, and, seeing as how they are my subjects, I will not tolerate them being treated any differently than you would treat your fellow Pony, Griffin, Minotaur, Diamond Dog, Changeling, Deer, Hippocampi, Zebra, Horse, Buffalo, Cow, Donkey, or Dragon depending on whichever race you belong to.” “To my Pokémon, I say this: I brought you, all of you, here so that you could live in peace. Do not seek to harm the natives of this world, for I am the one responsible for your displacement. And to the Pokémon who went through changes when I brought you here I say this… You are the ones who proved themselves worthy, those who were fair, kind and good in the old world, consider this your reward. And to all of you, as sapients the laws of Equus, and the varying countries, now apply to you, and only the laws of Equus.” ‘Okay brain. Explain to me what is happening.’ ‘Left brain at your service, my lord. It seems that a being known as Arceus, whom information about him you’ve read in the following books : -History of the world. -Tales of Sinnoh. -The trio of time and space. has teleported / transported all of our race into this world known as Equus and as-’ ‘Ah, come on Lefty. Stop bragging about that stick up your butt. It becomes boring. Still, it pisses me off that we’ve been transported here without our consent, but at least we’re still together… minus Neige. The only thing we have to do here is to stay together and respect the rules. That must be easy.’ “Thank you, right brain.” I accidentally said out loud while sighing, causing my traveling partners to stare at me in silence. “That is all for now, but just to be clear, the Pokémon are not to be harmed simply out of spite, if you have a problem with what I’ve done, feel free to contact me, I currently reside in an ancient temple deep in the Everfree Forest, or a pocket dimension outside of the space time continuum, so if any of you wish to face the sheer power of a god, feel free to come by.” If you have a problem with me not respecting the rights you receive for free when you were born, which include free will and the right to make life-changing decision, please send your angry mail at my creepy temple located in a forest. Isn’t that the best way to hang a target on your chest and asking to be used as a practice dummy. “Goodbye for now, though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me, and peace to you all.” When the message finished, I looked at Sycamore. For the first time ever, his face showed some emotions. He was curious, but also scared. I guess that his fear was justified. It was now official, there was no turning back. We changed dimension and we had to deal with it. “Well… that was certainly… something.” Kudla tried to explain her train of thought, but it failed miserably. “Let’s just make our way to Idube’s shack.” I nodded and we continued walking. On the outside, I was as calm and collected as normal, but inside, my mind was overclocked to allow me to classify all the information I just heard. “Let me get this straight…” I started out loud. “...an immortal deity imprisoned for hundreds, maybe even thousands of year sent both humans and Pokemons to another world where countless species already inhabit the planet. Plus, he gave the humans a new form and let the others suffer without any permission given.” I looked at Sycamore who, still shocked, nodded slowly. I nodded back, happy that I managed to sort this out quickly. By happy, I only meant my exterior appearance. Inside, I was boiling with rage. I finally managed to kiss the one that I loved. I had friends and a family that was about to challenge the elite four. I was now alone. The only companion I had was a scientist turned tree whom I only knew for a few hours when I was young and a fainted Espeon that I didn’t even know yet. I didn’t even had time to continue my mental rant as we finally arrived to our destination. I was finally able to get a decent view of the outside now that the sun was shining upon it. The style was exactly the same as the other houses. However, this one was clearly bigger, surely a proof of the inhabitant’s experience and hard work. “Idube, we’re here!” Kudla shouted as we entered the humble abode. However, no sound came from inside. This immediately alerted our group. We went further into the house, only to find a frozen Zebstrika standing on her back legs and over her cauldron. “M-Miss Idube, are you alright?” The young female quickly said while rushing toward the elderly. However, when she touched Idube, the Zebstrika turned around and showed her face. To our surprise, it didn’t contain shock, but more along the lines of excitement. “Alright? My dear, I am more than alright!” She started running toward her library, us following behind her. She then started to grab books at random and throwing them in a huge pile. However, after further scrutiny, I realised that those books were all about the multiple races populating the land we were in. “And there I thought I wouldn’t get something exciting in my life before my demise. Hah! I was so wrong.” She then started to pull out empty pages as well as quills and ink. “And here I am. A scientist thinking that everything that was, is and will be was already researched to a molecular level. Aren’t I lucky that new species just appeared out of nowhere.” We all stared as she started scribbling like crazy. My curious nature taking over, I looked over her shoulder and saw that, even if she was writing about 5… weird symbolic letters per seconds, her writing looked spotless. I guess that she truly was a scientist. “O...kay. Do you have our medicine then? We really should go soon if we want to save that Espeon.” I said. However, it seemed that the potion had ran its course since Idube looked at us, confused. Kudla, seeing her reaction, quickly translated what I said. “Oh! Right! Your bag is right there.“ She started, pointing at the bag. “You have both the medicine for Healing Heart and the salve for your friend. I also added a few Pokemon talking potions as a thank you gift. I have enough fur for tons of bottles. Oh, by the way…” She went to her crucible, grabbed one of the potions and drank it. “...the potion lasts about 18 hours. I’ll have to test it more.” “That’s good to know. I really want to thank you for your hospitality. And thank you Kudla.” I respectfully bowed to them. However, instead of doing something to show that she shared the same feelings, Idube grabbed me and hugged my poor body. “Merci beaucoup, miss Idube and demoiselle Kudla. I am glad to see that you and your tribe will take care of the Pokemon like this. Just… don’t use them as test subject for your potion, please.” The Trevenant, who talked rarely in the last day, said. While he said his departing words, I went to the bag and placed it in a comfortable position on my side. As we were about to make it out of the house, Idube stopped us. “Mister… Sycamore, was it? I know you have to help Tenebre with his problem, but I would like to ask you a favor. Could you please stay with me a bit longer. I want to get as much information as possible about all those Pokemon before starting my research. Since I heard that you were a Pokemon scientist, I guessed that you wouldn’t mind share your knowledge.” She asked with the warmest of smile. I looked at the tree from under the door frame. Sure, I am not one to order someone to refuse such an opportunity to spread knowledge to one in need, but he was the only other Pokemon,… or human, that I knew from Kalos. I didn’t have time to say anything, however. Augustine was already by her side. “I’m sorry Tenebre. I know you want me to keep your company, but I-” I shook my head, making him stop in the middle of his sentence. I explained what I just thought to myself. “Well, I’m glad you share that idea with me. Good luck with that Espeon. I will find you when I will finish with this.” He said before going deeper in the house, followed by Idube who waved at me. I sighed as I left the house, the small charge on my back subtly changing my balance to a point that I had to regain my equilibrium a few times. I slowly made my way outside the village, reminiscing times where I wasn’t alone or inside a forest. I never thought I would ever say this, but I missed the monochrome appearance of cities. It took about an hour before I got back to the village where it all started. When I started to see the entrance, however, I immediately hid behind trees. Remembering what happened last time someone other than Heart found me, I knew that being sneaky was my only way in. After waiting for a long time, or 10 minutes depending of the point of view, I was finally greeted with an empty field toward my nearest hiding spot. So, like a shadow, I moved from dark corners to darker corners, hoping that no one would see me. While hiding in an alleyway, I managed to hear a conversation happening near me. I looked at the source of the noise and saw Tweedledee and Tweedledum talking about 15 meters from me. “I can’t find them anywhere.” The taller one said. “I am sure that they’re still in the village, but where?” He asked his smaller counterpart. His friend shrugged. “Maybe that witch hid them somewhere before we’ve raided her house.” The other said. I ignored the rest of the conversation, my mind focusing on only the information I just learned. Those two… evil… monsters raided Heart’s house!? And it was all my fault. As I was staring at those two criminals, I suddenly felt something hitting me in the back. Startled, I jumped back and growled at the Ponyta behind me. To my surprise, he was as startled as me. However, our mental showdown was stopped when we heard the two coming this way. When the Ponyta saw my fear, he quickly grabbed me and pushed me back in my hiding spot, blocking the path. When they arrived in front of us, he started shaking his hoof in front of him. “Is everything alright here?” The tall one asked. The one blocking their sight of me explained that he accidentally stepped on a sharp stone and that it surprised him. “Okay then. If you see a black fox creature roaming around, tell us. He owes us his pelt.” He finished his sentence with a small maniacal laugh before leaving the scene. The Ponyta sighed as the other left. I slowly left my hiding place and looked at the one who just saved me. “So, you’re the one who cause so much trouble in our town.” He crouched in front of me. In fear of what was coming, I started to back off. “Don’t worry. You cause problems for Crazy Nail and that is always a plus in my book.” I stared at him, a slight grin sprayed on my face. “By looking at your bag, I can tell that you’ve met Healing Heart. Such a fine mare, heh.” He said, smiling. When he said, her name, however, my eyes grew wide. I poked him and pointed the bag. “I guess you wanna go see Heart. How about a secret visit. Give me your bag and hop in mine.” I nodded and did as he instructed. I was kept in darkness as I felt him move under my body. It only took a few minutes to get to her house, but it obviously took less time than sneaking through town. However, after a minute, I heard a gasp. Suddenly, the bag started to move frantically. I heard the sound of a door opening and the clear dissonance of a women crying. I quickly jumped out of his bag and was met with the weeping face of Healing Heart. Surrounding her was the broken debris of some of her living room furnitures. “Oh, T-Tenebre! You’re s-safe!” She exclaimed while grabbing me for a hug. I returned the motion, slowly patting her back like Neige used to do. It seemed to do the trick as she calmed down after few seconds. When she let me go, I made my way to the unnamed Ponyta and looked inside my bag. I grabbed one of the talking potion and gave it to Heart. At first, she looked at me in confusion, but she realised that I wanted her to drink it. When she did, however, the response was immediate. She reeled back in disgust and glared at me. “Why did you make me drink that!? It taste awful!” She shouted. I smiled, preparing myself for the surprise of her life. “Well, I would have explained to you the use for this potion, but you would have only heard me repeating ‘Umbreon’ over and over again.” I said. While the male would only hear… well, Umbreon, Heart stared at me in shock. “You… you can talk!? How?” She asked, still shocked. That was surprising since she knew that I was intelligent. However, I guessed that she didn’t make a link between ‘able to write’ and ‘able to speak’. “Like I said. That potion is allowing you to understand Pokemon speech while others only hear what you’re used to hear. Idube truly is a genius.” I stated. She slowly nodded, the information she just learned sinking in. “Anyway, where is Espeon? Did they caught her?” She shook her head. “When I saw that they were coming, I hid her under the floorboards under my bed. I guess they were too lazy to look down there.” She added a small chuckle. I sighed in relief. I might not know her, but we are kin… more or less. “What about Swee-” I started when I was immediately cut by the one who saved me earlier. “Okay, this is weird. How can you speak to this fox? He only repeats Umbreon.” We both stared at him, sighing. Using Heart as a translator, I explained that the potion allowed people to talk to us and that, sadly, he can’t have one due to its limited quantity. He nodded, accepting the fact. “I guess you were about to ask for Sweet. He should arrive soon. It’s still a school day.” On cue, a shadow loomed through the door. When we looked at its source, we saw the shocked expression of Sweet Leaf. “M-Mom!? Are you alright?” He asked while running toward her for an embrace. She greeted him with open arms, sobbing quietly in her son’s embrace. “Yes I am, Sweet.” She simply said. After a few seconds of embrace, the other Ponyta cleared his throat. “Look, I know that it was horrible, but we need to leave. We don’t want them to come back while they’re here. Let’s just go to my house.” I wanted to tell him that he was a bit impolite for ruining that moment, but he was right. We all looked at each other and nodded. I jumped inside the bag and looked outside as Heart ran upstairs and, after a small moment, brought the bandaged body of Espeon. She placed her in the other pouch inside the male’s bag. Then, she grabbed my old bag and placed it on her back. I closed my hiding place and returned to the darkness of the cloth bag. I sighed and wait, hoping that his house wasn’t that far from where Heart lived. Luckily for me, it only took about five minutes before hearing the sound of a door opening. “Okay. Tenebre, can you come with me. I will give Espeon her medicine.” I popped my head out of the bag and looked at Heart grabbing the limp body out of the other side of the Ponyta. I hopped out, clumsily grabbed my bag from his back and followed her upstairs. We entered his bedroom and dropped her on the bed. Then, Heart opened what I was holding and grabbed a jar filled with a greenish blue cream. I jumped on the bed as she applied the weirdly colored paste on Espeon’s enormous injury. The effect was immediate. I saw, in real time, fur slowly growing back where the gash was and the red becoming the normal white. However, it was still slow and, from what Heart explained, would need multiple application before the injury would fade. “Look, I have to go and find a solution with Bright Speech for this whole ordeal. You can stay here and take care of her if you want.” She offered. I nodded and she left the room, leaving me alone with the poor Pokemon snuggled behind me. I wasn’t drowsy, but this position felt somehow right, like if I did it before. My eyes suddenly grew wide. Everything made sense now. My brain went in overclock as it was now factoring in all the information that was left to me. How did I miss something so obvious!? Cresselia telling me to protect her, her knowing my name when waking up, her getting kidnapped so easily and without attacking back, that constant feeling of familiarity and the fact that I seem to know her somehow. I turned her head and saw the last proof of who she was. Right there, under her ear, was the last scar her father gave her before she ran away. A mark forever hidden behind her hair. I now knew who she was. I finally found you, Neige.