Who's That Pokemon?

by AutoPony

3 - (Pokemon) Center of Attention

It was a few hours of walking before David and Luna could finally spot Viridian City on the horizon, the trees around them beginning to thin out. Fortunately, there had been no other squabbles with the resident creatures along the path, allowing to make them pretty good time. Aside from the stops to rest every now and then.

The truth of the matter was, Luna was not doing as well as she insisted. Whatever that cursed fox had burned her with had not stopped at a mere physical pain. It had started out that way, but after a few miles of walking, that burn had turned into something more akin to a black hole, sucking the energy from her body. By this point sheer willpower was what kept her going, as every muscle in her body was pleading with her to stop.

"We're almost there Luna, I think I see the Pokemon Center's roof from here," David announced, pointing at a building in the distance with a distinctive red roof. She had no idea what he was talking about, nor could she focus on the words he had said. But she assumed this establishment was where they were headed.

"This center, will they have something that will rid me of this affliction?" she muttered. David nodded with vigor upon her inquiry.

"Absolutely, that is the reason they exist in the first place. Literally just to help you out." As he looked over at his friend, he could see just a bit more pep in her sluggish steps at that comment, giving him all the reason he needed to keep describing the place. "Honestly, you won't believe what they can do in a short time span. I bet you will be feeling good as new in a matter of a few minutes."

That comment perked Luna's interest enough for her to raise her head and face David. "How is that even possible? In Equestria, we have healing spells, but even something like this would take at least two or three days to heal."

"Oh ye of little faith," David chided. "Trust me, you'll see for yourself soon enough, you're just about there."

Sure enough, the two of them made their way past the first few houses, making Luna pick up the pace a bit more as a last rush of adrenaline kicked in. She could do this, there was no way she would allow herself to fail now. As they entered the city proper, David and Luna migrated to the neat sidewalks, crowded with pedestrians at what was likely early afternoon. It had not felt like it took long to reach Viridian City, but the sun in the sky did not lie, as it had just passed its zenith.

On a regular basis, a passerby would take notice of Luna, whether it be because of her condition or the fact they had probably never seen such a being before. She paid them no mind, nor any of the Pokemon that would occasionally be spotted next to his or her human companion. She would not let herself be distracted, as every step made her feel as if he willpower was being sucked out through her hooves. The two of them reached the Pokemon Center at last, being invited in by the automatic doors as they slid open.

A counter sat central to the interior, flanked by rows of chairs along either wall. At the counter sat a woman, her pink hair stylized in a rather confusing ponytail that split off and away from her, before looping back. She stood up at once upon seeing David and Luna enter.

"Oh no, what happened?" she asked, her voice underlining her concern even as she hurried around the counter to meet them.

"Nurse Joy, Luna needs your help, she got burned pretty badly in the forest," David cried. The woman knelt down beside Luna, giving her a slight smile of reassurance before examining the side that ailed her. Luna winced as the nurse lightly parted her fur back, the adrenaline of the expedition beginning to waver.

"She's going to be okay, it's not too severe," Nurse Joy announced, sounding a bit relieved herself. But for Luna, the call did not sit well.

"I feel as if I am on the verge of absolute exhaustion, and you're telling me this burn is not severe?" she asked, irritated. But instead of a reply, Nurse Joy stood up, calling for an assistant before focusing her attention to David for the time being. The brush off only frustrated Luna more.

"I find the fact you do not even acknowledge me quite insulting. I do hope your medicinal skills are better than your manners," she grumbled. But again, there was no response to her, as David shared in her confusion, his eyes darting between the nurse and Luna.

"I am surprised to see this Pokemon, it's quite rare from what I've gathered," Nurse Joy said. "In fact, the only other time I have seen this species is when Professor Oak made a visit to Viridian City and shared his own Luna he had captured."

"Yeah, it's the same one," David said, scratching his head in confusion as he went with the flow of the conversation. "He left her at his lab in Pallet Town along with a note that said I could take her and come here to Viridian City to meet him."

Nurse Joy's sympathetic attitude shifted just a bit as David finished his explanation. She crossed her arms as her gaze became rather stern.

"I don't suppose you have that note, do you?" she asks, pressuring him just a bit. "I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe the Professor would leave a Pokemon so rare for someone so young to use for errands."

David didn't bother searching his pockets or bag. Just as he had forgotten the heal items the Professor had left him, the note was likely sitting on the table next to them back at the lab. He only shook his head forlornly, the piercing eyes Nurse Joy had made him feel quite nervous.

As Nurse Joy was about to respond, the doors behind her opened. A pink, round Pokemon walked through with a nurse's cap on its head and a cheerful smile upon its face, wheeling a gurney for the patient.

"Here, Nurse Joy," the Pokemon chirped in a decidedly feminine voice. Its attention was drawn to Luna as she in turn eyed the latest guest. "Oh, you must be the patient. I don't think I've ever seen your kind before."

"That might be because I'm not from here," Luna replied. Her fatigue was beginning to affect her mood even more, as her response came out unwelcoming and dour.

"No need to worry, Nurse Joy and Chansey are here for you, even if we are unfamiliar with your kind," she cheered in response, oblivious to Luna's negativity. Luna didn't bother asking David but assumed that this conversation was just between her and this Chansey.

At this point, Luna eyed the gurney this Chansey had wheeled out with a great relief. Part of her felt compelled to turn down the bed and continue on her feet into the medical room, but she was too tired to argue. Instead, Luna struggled up on top of the gurney and essentially collapsed, her adrenaline finally running out. After all, she made it all the way here, that was good enough.

"We can discuss this situation later, first thing's first," Nurse Joy said, taking note of Luna's condition. As Chansey did her best attempt at a salute with her stubby arms, she pushed Luna back through the double doors she had entered, and into the medical area. Letting her achy muscles relax, Luna sank into the foam padding of the gurney, as her eyes took a rest for just a moment.....

======

Meanwhile, David found himself alone in the lobby as the two nurses wheeled his friend out of view. While certain Luna would be better in no time at all, his nerves still began to get the best of him, as he walked over to one side of the room and took a seat. How was he going to talk his way out of this? This hadn't been a dream so far, it had been a nightmare.

He knew Luna would be okay, but it was still sickening to see her in such a miserable state. Which brought him to the obvious question - just what the heck was going on with this dream? Besides the fact Luna had no power to change the dream, there were other things he had noticed. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before, feeling so vivid and realistic. The sights, the sounds, the smells - and the pain. He didn't admit it to Luna, considering her far worse condition, but he had tweaked his ankle a bit trying to catch her, and it was still aching. The frequent stops for rest were not just for Luna, as she likely believed.

David heard the entrance doors open but paid it no mind as he continued to think. It wasn't until he heard his name called that David looked up and took notice of the visitor.

An older gentleman stood before him, his salt and pepper hair his most distinguishing feature. Dressed in a red shit and brown trousers, a lab coat completed the look of a professor - no, the professor. Professor Oak.

"Professor Oak, what are you doing here?" David said, stumbling through his words. His stomach tightened a bit as he tried to think of how to explain the situation he found himself before Oak had even begun to answer him.

"It's alright David," he calmly replied, patting him on the shoulder before taking a seat next to David. "I was concerned you had not made it, so I'm glad to see you here. What happened?"

"I got caught out, I guess," David replied with an exhale. "We weren't prepared, or I wasn't prepared, and Luna ended up with a burn that took a lot out of her. Managed to forget the potions you left, so I couldn't heal her."

Professor Oak responded with a chuckle, much to David's surprise. "Oh, I've lost count of how many times a new trainer has forgotten some supplies I've offered, just out of sheer excitement," he says with a sympathetic smile. "You shouldn't feel bad about it, you got it to the Pokemon Center, that's the important thing. But a burn, I'm surprised to hear of something like that around here. What kind of a Pokemon did you run into?"

"It was a Zorua, surprised me too, honestly. Not necessarily that I found it and it claimed we were in its territory, but the fact it knew Will O Wisp, which I don't think it can normally learn," David rambled through in a single breath. Oak seemed taken aback by the information laid upon him.

"That is an odd species to find around here, they aren't native to this region. But then again, with the tourism and traveling that has exploded between regions in recent years, it has been noted species seem to be making the trek as well for whatever reason," Oak replied. "But I must say, you have a lot of knowledge for someone your age. Not many would have been able to identify such a Pokemon."

"I guess you could say I've studied up a bit, heh," David responded with an awkward smile.

Before the professor could respond, the sound of hooves upon tiles echoed from behind, causing the two of you to turn your heads. As if on cue, Luna burst through the doors on her own, beaming with happiness and energy

"I owe you an apology David," Luna announced. "The magic they have here to heal is simply astounding. I feel even better than I did before the fight." As if to prove her point, Luna trotted in place, before realizing David was not the only person in the room.

"Sorry, I was so caught up in myself that I did not see you were having a conversation," she apologized, bringing her show to an instant halt. Her ears drooped downward, matching the tone of her voice as she eyed the professor. At the same time, Nurse Joy finally appeared through the doors Luna had just returned from.

"My word, you must be feeling in tip-top shape, you're full of energy," Nurse Joy giggled, standing next to Luna. Her attention shifted to Professor Oak, as he rose from his seat. "Professor Oak, just who I was hoping to see. Did you lend that young man his Pokemon? He insists that you did."

"Indeed I did, Nurse Joy," Oak replied happily. He walked over to Luna and began scratching her behind the ears, much to Luna's surprise.

"Excuse me, but I don't believe we have formally met Mr. Oak. This is hardly appropriate," she muttered while leaning more into his hand. "As nice as that feels, I must admit."

Meanwhile, Nurse Joy turned her attention to David, her expression softened. "I must apologize to you then, young man," she said softly, clasping her hands together out in front of her. "What is your name?"

"David," he replied, feeling a bit more upbeat. "You don't have to apologize, but thank you. I'm just glad you got Luna back to her old self."

"So I'm assuming either everypony is ignoring me for no reason, or you are the only one that can hear me, David," Luna said, pulling away from Professor Oak's grasp and trotting away. The professor was left dumbfounded as he watched her return to David's side.

"Was it something I said?" he asked aloud.

"I'm going to guess I'm the only one that can hear her," David spoke up, drawing looks of skepticism from both Nurse Joy as well as Oak. Instead of focusing on the awkward stares, he turned his gaze to his friend, whose ears drooped in sadness as her assumptions were confirmed. "Evidently she thought you could hear her too, but I guess not."

"You're telling me she can speak to you, and you understand her?" Joy spoke up, her voice making clear she was not a believer. But before she could further express her doubt, Professor Oak raised a hand up, before folding both arms behind his back.

"It is rare, but trainers can form a bond strong enough with their Pokemon that surpasses the norm, but indeed develops into a rudimentary understanding of each other on both sides," Oak explains, before turning his his short lecture to David and Luna personally. "But you two just met today, and if what you say is true, your connection is beyond anything I have ever seen or heard."

"We haven't just met today, we have known each other for many moons," Luna interrupted, drawing the attention of everyone in the room down to her. "You aren't even real, you're both the creation of David's dream. Or my dream, something." As she finished her rant, Joy and Oak glanced up at David, anticipating a translation.

"She said she doesn't know what happened, we just started speaking to each other right away," David lied, squatting down to Luna's level and resting his hand on the back of her head. "Luna thought maybe something had changed with her and everyone could understand her, but that doesn't seem to be the case." As he finished, David urged Luna to nod in agreement by the pressure and motion of his hand within her mane.

"Just go with it for now," David whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Luna sighed, before plastering on a smile for all to see and nodding her head in confirmation of the 'translation.'

=========

After what felt like hours of an in-depth question and answer session, David rubbed his temple, trying to relieve himself of a headache brought upon himself. It was not easy 'translating' Luna's background and species information for Professor Oak on such short notice, but he felt it was necessary to make something up rather than tell the truth. Something about Oak believing he had caught Luna months ago, and the idea that Oak knew David personally before he arrived in this dream unsettled him. Maybe it was nothing, but better to fit in than stand out, he figured.

Luna was not particularly thrilled with the session either, becoming quite bored and frustrated as David came up with what he felt should be said out loud. She found herself increasingly eager to ask him what the fuss was about, especially because David seemed stressed out. Sure, on the surface David had a calm and cool facade, but she knew him long enough now to look past that and deeper into what was really going on within.

"My word, I had not planned on spending this much time in Viridian City today," Oak exclaimed, looking down at the watch on his wrist. Indeed, the view through the plate glass windows of the Pokemon Center showed the shadows beginning to grow long outside. The hustle and bustle of the city had died down as well, with the sidewalks only occasionally graced by the presence of pedestrians, rather than a near-continuous string that had existed earlier.

"Yeah, I'm feeling rather beat myself," David sighed, twisting his torso to earn a much-needed crack from his back. "Is there a hotel or something in this city I can spend the night? I don't really have any money, but maybe-"

"You're more than welcome to stay here the night," Nurse Joy interrupted from behind her desk. "No charge, no worries."

"I think I'll take you up on that, thank you," David cheerfully replied.

"Yes, I should be heading back to my lab before it gets dark," Oak said, standing up and stretching. "But before I go, I want you to take this." Abruptly, Oak fished through a pocket in his lab coat, before pulling out a small red device David instantly recognized.

"That's a Pokedex," David exclaimed, mouth agape as he held his hands out. Oak carefully set the electronic in his hands, smiling as David looked it over with awe.

"Indeed it is. The newest model, might I add," Oak mused. He reached over and pushed a button on the front of it, the cover retracting to show a screen and a vast array of more buttons. The screen light up, going through a quick bootup synopsis before showing a bright, detailed map of the Kanto region. "Not only is it a Pokedex, it allows you to view maps of the region, as well as make phone calls should you find yourself needing to speak to me," he said. "I'm sure you will learn the system as you use it, the interface is intimidating at first, I will admit."

"Thank you so much, this is amazing," David gushed, receiving a chuckle from Oak. Luna did her best to catch a glimpse of the Poke-thingy David was holding, with little luck. David was too preoccupied to notice he had it held just above Luna's eye level

Curse this miniature form, she thought to herself, scowling. I pray I am not relegated to this for the entirety of the dream.

"You will be helping me as well, David," Professor Oak said. "While the database for Pokemon native to this region is mostly complete, the influx of other species is something not quite clear. Having that with you on your journey should help me get a better idea of how many new species have adapted to the ecosystems here in Kanto. Not only that, but there is a lot I still do not know about Luna, and I believe the best way to learn more about her is if you take her with you, especially considering the bond you two have already developed."

"Don't worry, she is in good hands," David cheered with pride.

"I was going along with David whether you like it or not, I don't know you," lamented Luna, her bitterness falling on deaf ears. The more she learned about interactions between humans and these Pokemon creatures, the more she disliked it. It felt like she was being referred to as owned property, rather than a partner as David had assured her earlier.

"Good luck David, I'm always just a call away if you need anything or discover something new," Oak announced, holding his hand out. David shook his hand, barely able to contain his excitement before the professor turned and walked out of the center.

"If you would like, I could show you to a room you can rest," Nurse Joy chimed in, causing David to spin around. Despite sitting the last couple hours, he felt mentally fatigued, and the mention of rest only reminded him of his nagging headache.

"That sounds good to me," David replied with a smile. Nurse Joy nodded her head, walking out from behind the counter and leading David to a room in the back, Luna in tow. The room was devoid of much decor, aside from a simple steel frame bed, the mattress covered over with sterile white linen and a bedside table. Hardly luxurious, but David was more than happy to accept the offer.

"Thanks, I really appreciate this," he said, Nurse Joy's beaming smile and a nod his instant reply.

"It's the least I could do for a young trainer starting out. Again, I didn't mean to accuse you of stealing Luna here," she replied.

"Oh, I'm good, really," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Alright, just let me know if you need anything," Nurse Joy said, before turning and heading back to the front of the building. The click of her heels on the floor slowly faded away, leaving a serene silence in the area.

David hesitated no longer, falling backward into the mattress. He closed his eyes, trying to relax and let the tension of the day seep away. He felt the bed shift as weight was added, and as he opened his eyes, Luna's face obstructed his view. She only stared, her expression eerily emotionless. David stared back into her bright teal eyes, expecting her to say something.

"Uh, hi," David finally mumbled, feeling a bit awkward. The greeting broke Luna from her weird, silent trance.

"Now that we're alone, do you mind explaining to me why you wanted me to just 'go along' with your charade?" she asked.

"Because I don't like the idea of telling the truth?" he replied, unsure of himself as he sat up. Luna shifted her own seated stance, ultimately ending side-to-side with David.

"What is the real reason?"

"This dream we're in is nothing like I've ever experienced before, Luna," David muttered quietly. "By the way everyone acts, we both existed here before we were actually here. I don't know, but I had a bad feeling about just saying this was all a dream to.... well, the dream, I guess."

"You sound unconvinced this is a dream," Luna mused, her face remaining stoic and void of emotion.

"Are you sure this is a dream?" David asked. "You didn't seem to be able to shake the pain of that burn off, and I twisted my ankle pretty good. To tell you the truth, I've never experienced a dream this real before. Heck, we've been here almost a whole day, Luna. I actually feel tired and ready for a good night's sleep."

"Yes, I will admit, this dream has been more vivid than any I've ever been within," Luna replied cautiously. "But you forget, time has virtually no meaning within dreams, David. What may seem like hours spent within a dream could be mere minutes of sleep in the waking world. There really is no way of telling how much time we have spent here until we actually wake. Unless you have another theory, I don't know what else this could be."

"You said yourself, there's a chunk of forming this dream you don't remember," David argued. "You don't have the magic to control it, and try as I might, I can't just wake up. I haven't figured out how to change this dream, either. Could you have somehow - could you have created a new reality?"

Luna quickly shook her head. "No, that is impossible. Nopony has the massive amounts of energy such a feat would require if it was somehow possible. This has to be a dream, I'm sure of it."

"Alright, but I still feel like we should just try to blend in, Luna. This was supposed to be fun anyways, may as well play along, right?" David suggested.

"As long as we work together, as you said before," Luna warned, letting her frustration of what she had observed throughout the day seep into her voice. "I still dislike the scenario I find myself, and I see how these other creatures are treated - as mere pets, property to be traded. I am nopony's property, I can think for myself."

Luna's sour tone disheartened David, remembering the talk they had after the first battle did not go so smoothly. "Luna, I swear to you, I don't think of myself as your owner, nothing has changed between us in my eyes. Anything I've said today, everything you've heard - remember - we're trying to fit in."

"Alright, I just wanted to make my concerns clear once again," Luna replied, her voice still unable to hide her skepticism.

Silently, David's headache crept back into his temple.

He hoped Luna could drop her pride and pessimism that was fogging her mind, and soon. If Luna was still unwilling to listen to him in the heat of battle because she felt it necessary to prove her free will, this was going to be an uphill fight.

Author's Note:

For whatever reason, this was a difficult chapter for me to write. Twice I got just about got it finished up, only to read it and nuke over half of it. Just could not hit the right tone I was looking for, particularly with Luna's mood.