I couldn't see anything. The world was entirely black. I could hear voices, but they sounded so far away…
I let out a groan. My head was pounding. What had happened?
"She's wakin' up!" someone cried out.
"Maybe we should dump water on her face, Grampa!"
"No! Conflabit! That don't solve nuthin'!"
I finally opened my eyes, only to see an array of blurry faces staring back at me.
"She's awake!" one of them cried out.
"Are ya alrigh' there, missy?" another asked.
"Ugh…" I groaned, "where… am I?"
"Yer on the Sunshine Islands! My guess is you've washed up ashore during that nasty storm we had last night…"
I blinked furiously to focus my vision. Finally, I was able to see who was speaking to me. It seemed to be an old man, along with a young man and woman around my age. The two younger people had, of all things, pink hair.
Just where am I?
"Huh? A storm?" I suddenly recalled, once the old man's words started to make sense in my mind.
"Yes'm, are you alright?" the young man asked.
"Of course she's fine, stupid!" The young woman slugged the young man on the arm. "She wouldn't be talking to us if she wasn't!"
"Yeah… I think I'm alright," I told them as I urged myself to sit upright. I felt a little dizzy at first, but thankfully, the feeling passed rather quickly.
"Well, young missy, mah name's Taro, and these here are mah gran'children!" The old man smiled at me. "We're glad to see that you're feelin' alright now…!"
"My name's Elliot." The young man nodded to me as he rubbed his sore arm.
"And I'm Natalie!" The young woman smirked at me. "And who are you?"
"I'm Chelsea…" I smiled weakly, "Um… I guess I really did wash ashore… the last I remember, I was heading off on a trip… and the boat started rocking… I think I must have… hit my head or something…"
"Well, you're safe now!" Taro sniffed loudly as if to affirm this declaration, and he quickly rose to his feet.
Elliot and Natalie stood as well. I was grateful Elliot offered me a hand, since I still felt a little dizzy when I rose to my feet.
"Sorry but, where did you say I was again?" I asked, once the dizziness wore off.
"The Sunshine Islands. And I'm sorry to say that you're going to be stuck here for a while. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the next boat to arrive."
"Whoa… wait a second… Did you say the Sunshine Islands?"
I could hardly believe my luck! What great news! Well, aside from the fact that I was still alive and everything…
"That's where I was headed in the first place!"
"Really?" Taro blinked. "Why… are you here to become a farmer? Or a rancher maybe?"
"Well, yeah…" I scratched my neck embarrassedly.
Sure, I was a pretty weak and skinny city dweller, but I really wanted to give farming a try. I really hated my life in the city… I knew if I tried, I could find a way to make this work. Besides, I only needed enough money to get by on my own. It wasn't like I had a family to take care of or anything…
"It might sound a little strange… but I've actually been craving a simpler life…" I admitted.
"I completely understand!" Taro beamed widely, showing off his practically nonexistent teeth. "That's exactly why I came out of retirement and moved here! To get my family to earn a REAL livin'!"
"You're a farmer too?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Of course not!" Taro looked at me like I was crazy. "My fam's in the shippin' bidness! My grandkids forage for… whatever they can find all daylong, and I give them orders! My daughter's the housewife."
"But if you decide to be a farmer…" Natalie looked delighted as she started to put the pieces together, "then we won't have to forage anymore! We can just sell all the crops and stuff that you harvest!"
"Uh…" I couldn't really think of what to say here. It really sounded like I was going to get the short end of the stick in this situation…
"That's amazing!" Elliot chimed in happily.
"And since this island's completely deserted except for us, we can move you into a new house right away!" Taro told me enthusiastically.
"You have… a house… for me?"
"Yeah! There's a bunch of abandoned houses 'round here!" Taro explained happily, like it was the best situation ever.
"Uh… Do you suppose there's a reason for that?" I asked, feeling only a little less than freaked out.
"Ah, who cares?" Natalie punched my arm. And it actually really hurt.
"Now come on! I'll show you your new home! I already have the perfect place in mind!" Taro exclaimed, already starting to walk away. "Oh, but first! I'll need to have you meet my daughter, Felicia! Such a lovely lady, she is!"
The rest of us followed after him, but it didn't take us long to catch up, since he walked quite slowly. On the way to my 'new place' we bumped into Felicia. She was Elliot and Natalie's mother, and she had pink hair just like they did. I didn't get to find out what color her eyes were… because she was too happy; her face seemed to be permanently stuck in a cheerful expression. Normally, that sort of person would really freak me out, but in her case, I actually held the belief that she was just a genuinely happy person. At least, that's what I hoped, anyway…
After that was all taken care of, Taro led me to my new house alone. "It ain't much, but it's free o' charge. I doubt ya'd find a better deal in that conflabbed city!"
"No, I guess not," I agreed as I gazed over my new house.
It was old, but it seemed to be all in one piece, thankfully. And I didn't think there were any leaks where any rain might seep in. Wanting to check out the interior next, I carefully walked up to the door and opened it. The inside surprisingly wasn't too dusty, and, judging by the mud on the floor, it actually looked like an animal or something had been in here recently.
"Uh… There mighta been a few critters in here seekin' shelter from the rain yes'erday, but I'm sure they'll stay out once they notice you've taken over…" Taro shrugged.
"Yeah, that's fine. Thank you!"
"Well, it's gettin' late, and I don't want ya stressin' yerself too hard today. I suggest ya rest up and get to work first thing t'morrow morning. But you can do whatever ya like. It's yer life now," Taro pointed out, smiling at me with a nearly toothless grin.
"Sure thing. Thanks."
"And if ya need any halp, you let me know! I was a rancher back in my day, and I have plenty o' tips for ya!"
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
"Good!" Taro was just walking away when he suddenly stopped and turned back around to face me. "And just so's ya know, there's lotsa strange critters on these here islands… I don't want ya ta be frigh'ened, but it'd be in yer best interest ta keep yer eyes open."
"Uh… what do you mean?" I asked, confused.
What kind of animals? Was he talking about raccoons? Foxes, maybe? Bears…?
"Good night!" Taro shouted back to me. Apparently he couldn't hear me.
Ah well. I decided to just let it be for now. He was probably just superstitious anyway.
Shrugging, I went inside to set my bag down onto the bed and then decided to go for a walk around my new farm. It all looked to be pretty run down and old, but it was all for free and still relatively intact, so I wasn't going to complain about it. By the time I finished wandering the fields and checking out the stables, I decided to head back up to the house to fix myself some dinner and get to bed. Even though the sun hadn't completely fallen yet, I was already feeling pretty tired out.
The moment I stepped inside, however, something suddenly charged at me and knocked me to the ground. It just came completely out of nowhere; I was too stunned to even think to scream, and whatever it was that knocked me over quickly had me pinned to the ground. I could hardly even breathe as my assailant clutched my neck in a strong grip.
Who are you?
I merely whimpered in response. It was hard even to just breathe, let alone talk. What was… going on?!
Didn't you hear me? I said who are you?!
"Chel-chelsea…" I choked.
Chelsea?
"Y-yes…"
Hmph. Tell me, why has a human like you decided to come here?
What? Who was this, some kind of alien or something? Calling me a human… like it was something strange… How could this attacker speak English and yet, think that humans were not normal? What the heck was going on?!
But even in my panicked state, it was getting hard to think… My limited range of vision was starting to swirl…
Hey! Wake up! Answer me!
The arm gripping my neck thankfully began to relax slightly. It was likely the only thing keeping me from passing out right then and there.
Talk! Quit holding out on me; now I know you can breathe. Answer my question!
"I don't-! I don't know! Just—please! Let me go!" I pleaded. "I don't want to be killed or abducted by some alien! I haven't done anything! I swear!"
Don't act like the victim! I know how you humans are!
"Please! Just-believe me! I really don't know anything that's going on! I only just got here! Really! I swear!"
I desperately tried to peek at the alien creature through the corner of my eye, but I just couldn't see it.
Pathetic! The attacker scoffed and shoved me aside.
I gasped for breath, glad to finally be able to breathe normally once again. Once I felt like I had enough air to survive, I looked up to see who had attacked me. Or rather, what had attacked me…
It was some kind of creature. It looked like some kind of kangaroo or something, but it had blue and black fur with a yellow torso. Maybe this was this what kangaroos from Mars looked like?
"Whoa… I have never seen a talking kangaroo before…" I said quietly but instantly regretted it, out of fear that this creature would get even angrier and decide to attack me yet again.
The kangaroo sniffed indignantly. But thankfully, he seemed to have decided not to do anything else other than that.
Completely uncertain as to what might happen next, I watched him just as carefully as he watched me. This kangaroo creature wasn't even that tall really, but it sure was strong. I was afraid to even move; I certainly didn't want to make it any angrier than it was before, but it seemed to have calmed itself down somehow. Or perhaps it always looked this way; I really wouldn't know. Well… it wasn't trying to kill me anymore at least.
"Um…" After the longest of pauses, I figured I might as well hedge my bets and say something to it. "So… why are you here, anyway? Did you get… lost or something…? I mean, why planet Earth? And here of all places? I'm sure Mars is much better… suited for… blue colored… kangaroos…"
I would have laughed at myself for asking such stupid questions if this wasn't such a serious situation. But as it was, I really couldn't think of anything better to ask of this strange creature. I was just too shocked by… well, everything that had happened.
Why am I here? This is my house!
"Uh… I… I'm sorry… I'll… I'll get out…" I stammered and hurriedly got up to leave. But the blue kangaroo stepped in my way, blocking the door.
You're not going anywhere until you answer my questions.
"O-okay… Just promise me… that you won't… attack me again… Please?"
I won't. Not unless you give me reason to do so.
"Sure… Okay… Fair enough…"
I was pretty anxious, but for some reason, I actually believed this kangaroo. There was something weird about him. Something I couldn't quite place. Well, something other than the fact that he was blue and could speak English. But I still wished I had a baseball bat or something to help even the odds if he suddenly went wild again. For now, I supposed all I could do was try to reason with him.
"So… uh… what do you have to ask me… Mister… uh… Kangaroo?"
My name is Lucario. He looked at me with a sudden flash of anger in his eyes. It surprises me that no one has told you of my name.
"Um… what do you mean? Who would-"
Who sent you?
"Uh… nobody… I mean, I just came here to be a farmer… I came because I wanted to… I mean, I… I totally didn't know that this was your place. Believe me, if I did, I definitely would not have decided to barge in and bother you like this. Really!"
Hmph. You seem to be telling the truth. But knowing your kind, I still have my doubts.
"Um…? What?"
You were most likely trained to be deceitful, and they must have sent you in the hopes that I would drop my guard. Though Lucario was addressing me, it seemed as though he were wrapped up in his own thoughts. A weakling like you… they must have suspected I'd take pity on you… but your Aura signature… It shows no ill intentions… It just… makes no sense… I don't understand this at all...
"Um, I'm sorry, but…" I scratched the back of my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about exactly… I mean, first of all, who's this 'they' you keep talking about?"
Humans. Lucario spat darkly.
"Wait a second… How are you talking to me without even opening your mouth?"
He gave me a sidelong look before answering. I use my Aura abilities to help me speak your language. It's the only way I can communicate with humans, seeing as how my mouth is unable to produce the same sort of sounds this language of yours utilizes.
"Okay… So what's this… Aura… thing?"
Aura is the essence of every living being. It is our life force, the spirit and energies that live inside all of us. I have the ability to detect and manipulate this force.
"Uh… so are you saying you could… kill me… by destroying my aura essence or something?"
No. Your Aura is yours. I can only read it. I am unable to manipulate any Aura signatures other than my own.
"Oh. Okay then."
You're quite… ignorant… aren't you?
I laughed embarrassedly. "Um... yeah… I guess so."
Lucario just stared at me, as if I had an extra arm growing out of my head.
"Um, do you have… more questions? I'm just wondering… could I…? Can I leave now?"
Feh. Do what you want. Lucario suddenly turned his back on me and went over to the other side of the room. You're ignorant, weak, and extremely useless. You will never be a threat to me, regardless of how strange you are.
"Um… okay then."
I glanced over at the bed where I had left my bag. It and its contents were strewn all over the floor. Apparently Lucario had searched it. I sighed and walked over to pick it all up.
As I did so, I figured I might as well ask the question that had been on my mind for some time now. "So why do you… seem to dislike humans so much, Lucario? What kind of… experiences have you had with them?"
From his spot in the corner, Lucario sniffed indignantly. No answer other than that.
"You know… I suppose you could say I… kind of… hate humans a little bit too…" I mused, more to myself than to Lucario, since I figured he wasn't even listening anyway.
How is that so?
Ah, so apparently he was listening.
"Well… I actually decided to move here from the city because… I was getting tired of dealing with people who are impatient, greedy, rude, you know… the typical stuff… Just… uh… typical things like that…"
What is the city? Lucario suddenly asked.
"The city? Um, it's a place where many people live together. It makes it easier to do business and things like that, I guess."
Are you saying… you left your kind?
"Well… I guess you could say that…?" I shrugged.
So you really mean what you told me earlier? You were not sent here by anyone? You came here on your own will? Acting entirely alone?
"Well, technically… you could say that Taro sent me… to this house specifically, I mean…" I mused, not really thinking much of it. But this was probably a pretty bad thing to muse about… because Lucario sprang back into the vicinity again, and he did not look happy at all.
Who is Taro? he demanded to know.
"Taro's just some… old guy that said I could live here! I'm sure he didn't know that you were living here first!" I said frantically.
Agh! What was I thinking! Saying something like that! The last thing I needed was for some pissed off kangaroo to go kill a helpless old man just because I had said something incredibly stupid!
How long has this 'Taro' been living here? Lucario demanded to know.
"I don't know! I don't think he has for very long though… But just please don't attack him or go crazy or something! Please! He's not evil! I swear it! Or at least… I think s-! Agh, I'm sorry! Just please don't do it!"
Hmph. You must be referring to that old man with a family just across the bridge… I've been watching them carefully for a few days now… They haven't bothered any Pokémon yet, but it might just be a matter of time before they do… And if they're herding in more humans, then I'm certain no good will come of it… I may have to take action against them after all…
I jumped to my feet, holding up my fists. Sure, it was a pretty feeble attempt to intimidate something so much stronger and faster than me, but I wasn't about to let this kangaroo plot an attack on that family; I had to do something to stop him.
"Hey! You… Leave them alone! They haven't done anything to you!"
Lucario's head jerked back to face me, his expression alone enough to chill my resolve. Why do you defend them? I thought you said you turned on your kind? Or was that all a lie!
"They haven't done anything wrong!" I insisted, but my fists unclenched, already proving my inability to do much of anything right.
And when they do...? What happens then? he scowled. Don't you see? It's only a matter of time before the islands are riddled with humans once again! Well, I say: never again! I plan to stop them before they start!
I paused, racking my brain for some kind of method to persuade him.
"Wait a minute… Have you looked at their Aura essences? You can detect any evil energy or whatever, can't you?"
He paused. Well… yes. I can.
"And their Auras, they didn't hold any evil intentions?"
Not to my knowledge, he admitted. But… even with you… is it some kind of trick…?
"Give them a chance. Please. If they turn out to be total jerks, then go ahead; have at 'em. But for now, please just… wait until you have a clear reason to attack somebody…?"
…Fine. I'll let them be… for now.
"Good." I nodded slightly, trying to hold back a huge sigh of relief. "Well… I guess that's… that."
I realized I had just packed up all my things, so I quickly heaved the bag onto my shoulder; the sudden movement caused a can of soup to fall out of my bag, crash to the floor, and roll away.
It stopped at Lucario's feet.
What is in this canister? Lucario asked as he picked up the can and looked it over suspiciously.
"Soup..." I supplied lamely.
What is soup?
"Food," I answered, just as lamely as before. Then I thought of something. "Are you hungry?"
Why do you ask such a foolish question?
"Uh, 'cause I could give you some if you wanted to try it…"
I do not accept food from humans.
"Why not? You can watch me make it. I won't mess with it, I promise. Just consider it… an apology for barging into your house."
I told you I won't eat food touched by human hands. So don't even bother. Just leave now.
"But… I really do feel bad for barging in on you. I want to make it up to you. I mean, if you decide you don't like it, I'll just take it away. I just… want to share it with you."
Lucario said nothing and just watched me, his distrust quite evident.
I gingerly took the can from him and set it down on the counter while I searched the cabinets and cupboards for a can opener.
"Shoot, there's no-"
Lucario suddenly swiped at the can with glowing claws. The top was immediately sliced off.
"Or… I guess… that works too…" I shrugged with nervous laughter.
Lucario, however, was not amused.
After a while of fumbling around in the kitchen and trying not to make much eye contact with Lucario, the soup was finally finished. I managed to pour it (there was no ladle around) into some random bowls I found (I wasn't sure if they were even clean, but I decided I didn't really care at this point). Mainly, I just wanted to prove to Lucario that not everybody is as evil-minded as he might think they are. It really seemed like it had been a while since anyone had done him a favor. And hey, maybe he would really like it.
"Here you go…!" I handed him a spoon, but Lucario just stared at it blankly.
"Uh, never mind…" I set it aside and just pushed the bowl closer to him. "You can just drink out of it, I guess."
You drink it first. Lucario said coldly.
"Okay. Fine…" I shrugged and drank it. "See? Nothing happened."
Now from mine.
"Um, okay..." I did so. "See? Still alive."
Lucario stared at his soup hesitantly. He seemed so confident and assured about everything before that it almost looked a little funny to see him like this. After a few minutes, he slowly took the bowl and drank from it. Once he finished his small sip, he looked up at me expectantly.
"See? I told you that I didn't poison it!" I beamed.
You are strange. That's what is certain about you.
"Maybe so, but I can make pretty good soup, right?" I grinned openly, not even bothering to hold it back. "Granted, it was from a can…"
Lucario regarded me for a moment but said nothing more as he went back to drinking his soup. I was starving, so I followed suit. We ate while standing and in absolute silence, but I was too hungry to think of much to talk about anyway. After all the soup was gone, I began to wonder if Lucario knew how to wash dishes at all. Wait. Did alien kangaroos even use dishes? I figured that I should offer to help anyway, but before I could say anything, Lucario spoke up.
Thank you for this soup. I must admit… I am surprised that you would share food with me. What made you want to do this?
"Well, like I said before—"
Don't give me that. A simple apology would suffice for your barging in. There's something more than that, I'm sure.
"Um, well, I don't know… I guess I just… wanted to. You're pretty mysterious, so… I mostly want to just get to know you a little better… I mean… it would be great if we got to be on friendly terms with each other, since we are going to be neighbors… at least… I think we might be?"
Do you have a home? Lucario asked suddenly.
"Uh, no. I guess I have to… find one…"
You can stay here with me.
"Uh… what?"
You set your bag on that bed over there. I don't want that thing, so you can have it. I sleep over here. As long as you don't bother my rest, I don't mind if you rest here too.
"Uh… Really? You mean it?"
Yes. Consider it… thanks for sharing a meal with me. And for trying to… patch things up. I know I didn't… make it easy for you.
"Well, thanks…" I replied, surprised. Of all things, I hadn't expected to hear that from him. "Uh, but… you aren't going to… kill me in my sleep or anything… are you?"
No. He shook his head, apparently taking the question quite seriously. Don't bother trying to attack me while I'm asleep either. I told you earlier that you're no threat to me, and you'll only wind up regretting it.
"Uh… sure… I won't…" I could just feel the sweat sliding down my face.
Was this really such a great idea? But what other choice did I have? Could I seriously just suddenly go back to Taro and request a different place? He'd need a good reason, and I was afraid what might happen if I told him the real one…
I watched as Lucario moved to sit against the wall just beyond the kitchen. He just sat there with his eyes closed, seeming completely unconcerned with anything happening around him.
After cleaning up the dishes really quickly (or rather, just setting them into the sink for later), I headed over for the bed and hesitantly sat down on it. It was in the far left corner of the house, and I couldn't see Lucario from here, thanks to the wall surrounding what I supposed was the bathroom. That area was the only separate room in the house.
But seriously… would it really be wise to stay here? I inched along the bed and craned my neck until I was able to see Lucario once more. He was still sitting there, unmoving. Maybe he was already asleep.
I pushed my bag under the bed and curled up beneath the blankets, deciding to sleep in my clothes. I figured I should push my doubts out of my mind for now and worry about other things… like how I was going to explain a talking blue kangaroo named Lucario to Taro and his family…
oOoOoOo
NOTES: Well, I was having a small bout of writer's block for Azelf's Aura, and this just sort of popped into my head.
I actually really like it, and I think I'll continue it. What do you think?